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SpaceWorks and Astral Materials will develop and fly a dedicated microgravity platform for crystal manufacturing that has reentry capabilities. The system integrates a high-temperature crystal manufacturing platform with a thermal management system into SpaceWorks' re-entry device vehicle. This enables autonomous, uncrewed crystal growth experimentation in microgravity and a safe return to Earth.
Problem Statement
Current terrestrial silicon crystal manufacturing faces inevitable, gravity-induced defects that limit material quality. Microgravity environments offer crystal growth with less defects, enabling superior semiconductor properties. This technology addresses NASA's investments in scalable in-space manufacturing, advanced thermal management systems, and commoditized reentry vehicles. By developing a high-cadence processing and return service, this technology can help both advance scientific discovery and establish a commercial service for in-space manufactured goods.
Technology Maturation
A successful flight test demonstrates flight heritage for the microgravity crystal growth furnace, integration on a low-cost reentry vehicle, and deployment on a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) flight service provider. This will advance the combined platform to TRL 8, paving the way to repeatable and high-cadence operations necessary to fulfill needs of commercial markets and other users.
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This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.
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