Cardiff based Space Forge secures £10m from European Space Agency and UK Space Agency
This article covers Space Forge, a Cardiff-based greentech startup, securing £10m in growth funding from the European Space Agency’s General Support Technology Programme, funded through the UK Space Agency. The award will back Pridwen, a deployable fold-out heat shield intended to enable the safe return of semiconductor materials grown on its ForgeStar platform in low Earth orbit, a central milestone for commercial in-space manufacturing.
Space Forge, a Cardiff-based greentech startup, has secured £10m in a growth funding round from the European Space Agency’s General Support Technology Programme, funded through the UK Space Agency. The award will back Pridwen, a deployable, fold-out heat shield that Space Forge says will enable the safe return of semiconductor materials grown on its ForgeStar platform in low Earth orbit — a central milestone for commercial in-space manufacturing.
Why it matters
Semiconductors underpin modern electronics, and manufacturers are exploring microgravity as a way to create crystal structures and materials with properties hard to reproduce on Earth. For in-space manufacturing to move beyond experiments, companies must demonstrate routine, safe return of fragile payloads to terrestrial processing chains. Pridwen targets that gap: if it works, orbital-grown semiconductor seeds could be brought back reliably and integrated into larger-scale production on the ground.
Inside the product
Space Forge’s ForgeStar platform is designed to grow advanced semiconductor materials and seed crystals in low Earth orbit. The company says ForgeStar-1, its first free-flying mission nicknamed The Forge Awakens, generated plasma aboard the satellite and validated the ability to control the orbital environment needed for crystal growth.
Pridwen is a deployable heat shield intended to expand the protective surface area of a returning capsule during atmospheric re-entry. Unlike traditional fixed or tile-based heat shields, the fold-out design aims to reduce mass and stowed volume and make recovery and reuse more practical. Space Forge plans a hybrid manufacturing model: orbital growth of high-value seeds, return to Earth via Pridwen, then terrestrial scaling and processing to produce final semiconductor materials.
Who are the investors?
The funding comes via the European Space Agency’s General Support Technology Programme (GSTP), with the award made possible by the UK Space Agency’s investment in ESA. GSTP is commonly used to mature and demonstrate technologies that could have commercial and programme-level value rather than providing equity financing.
The award is presented as a grant/contract-style investment intended to bring Pridwen to commercial readiness and demonstrate a repeatable return capability. That distinguishes it from venture rounds: it reduces technical and operational risk ahead of any market-scale fundraising or commercial contracts and signals government and European institutional backing for the technology demonstration.
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Founder perspective
Joshua Western, Co-founder & CEO at Space Forge, said:
We're thrilled to be awarded the GSTP funding to help bring Pridwen to commercial readiness. This proprietary technology is key to enabling the safe return of our materials to Earth, which in turn unlocks the future of in-space manufacturing. With our ForgeStar-1 mission we proved we can create the right manufacturing environment for next generation semiconductor materials in space, with this newly funded mission, we can prove our ability to deliver products to market.
Space Forge frames the award as the step that moves Pridwen from prototype to an operational demonstrator capable of routine recovery.
The bigger picture
Space Forge’s announcement follows its ForgeStar-1 mission, which the company says was the first commercial free-flying platform to grow semiconductor-relevant conditions in orbit. Proving reliable return and recovery is the missing piece for many in-space manufacturing propositions, which combine orbital processes with terrestrial production to scale outputs.
Government-backed technology programmes such as GSTP are increasingly important in the UK and Europe for de-risking capital-intensive space hardware before private investors commit larger sums. The deal also underlines the overlap between space technology and greentech: advanced materials made in microgravity could alter supply chains for certain high-value sectors, while institutional funding helps bridge long development timelines.
The award will be watched closely by UK space industry stakeholders, potential commercial partners and greentech investors as a barometer of whether in-space manufacturing can move from technical demonstration to repeatable service.
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