Centre for Integrative Semiconductor Materials (CISM)

New Capabilities

As of May 2026: Partnering with Space Forge for hybrid space-Earth manufacturing

On New Year's Eve 2025, a microwave-sized British satellite generated plasma at 1,000°C while orbiting Earth at 17,000 mph. Space Forge's ForgeStar-1 became the first commercial free-flying spacecraft to create the extreme conditions needed to grow semiconductor crystals—materials currently impossible to manufacture at scale on Earth. The milestone caps a breakout year for orbital manufacturing: Varda launched four capsules in 2025 alone, Redwire spun out a pharmaceutical venture with its first licensing deal, and China announced plans to challenge U.S. dominance. The shift from decades of research to actual production is accelerating.

Updated May 20