What can reasonably be manufactured in space now? I've heard insulin and ball bearings could. In zero G with the exact amount of metal injected will pool into a perfect sphere that would need no machining. If the moon is to be mined, than the basic raw materials will probably have to be separated out on the surface of the moon. Then the metals can be spin launched in a container and towed to an in space manufacturing facility. It would probably have to be an O'Neill sized or Babylon 5 sized facility to handing all the raw material being brought in, smelted, made into the various components, and the finished product come out the other end. One G can be on the inside outer rim of a spinning station while the center zero G or micro G gravity can be used for the manufacturing area. I don't think in space manufacturing will happen until fully reusable rockets are developed and fully operational to make building large facilities in space, mining operations on the moon, or even on Mars can really begin. We have to get Starship operational, New Glenn Operational, and get New Armstrong operational first as well as Rocketlab's Neutron rocket and others.
Quote from: daedalus1 on 07/01/2025 12:41 pmThe ISS was initially sold as an orbital manufacturing facility. That hasn't quite happened.yet...The new space companies, are trying different things now...
The ISS was initially sold as an orbital manufacturing facility. That hasn't quite happened.
SpaceX Plans Starship Program for In-Orbit Drug ResearchSourceQuoteSpaceX is working on a program to use its mammoth Starship rocket to develop commercial products in space, potentially opening up a new business line for the world’s most valuable private startup, according to people familiar with the matter.From Google Gemini:QuoteRecent reports, including those from the Los Angeles Times and Bloomberg, indicate that SpaceX is indeed developing an internal program named "Starfall."Here's what is known about it:Purpose: The primary goal of Starfall is to utilize the Starship rocket for the development of commercial products in space. This aims to open up a new business line for SpaceX.Methodology: Starship would carry small, uncrewed capsules containing products like pharmaceutical components into space. These capsules would then be deployed, spend time in orbit, and eventually re-enter the atmosphere for recovery on Earth.Benefits of Space Environment: The program seeks to leverage the unique conditions of space, particularly micro-gravity and higher levels of radiation, which can offer new environments for manufacturing various commercial goods. This includes pharmaceutical drugs, semiconductors, food, and even beauty products.Commercial Potential: This initiative could position SpaceX as a leader in space-based research and development for commercial goods, building on its success in lowering launch costs.Development Stage: The Starfall program is currently in its early stages of development, and plans could change. Its success is highly dependent on Starship achieving operational reliability, as it has experienced a number of test flight failures.Timeline: SpaceX reportedly aims to make the program operational roughly by the end of the decade.Leadership and Partnerships: A team for Starfall has been recently formed under the leadership of Chris Trautner, senior director of vehicle engineering for the Falcon family of rockets. SpaceX is also in talks with potential customers for this service and is working in conjunction with the military on potential defense applications for Starfall.It's important to note that while the concept of "Starfall" is related to commercial in-space manufacturing, the name might also appear in other contexts, such as in sci-fi games or as a colloquial term for Starship re-entry events. However, in the context of a specific SpaceX program, it refers to this commercial in-orbit research and development initiative.Sources:Investing.comwww.investing.comSpaceX plans Starship program for in-orbit drug research - Bloomberg By Investing.comInvesting.com -- SpaceX is developing a program to utilize its Starship rocket for commercial product development in space, potentially creating a new revenue ...https://www.investing.com/news/company-news/spacex-plans-starship-program-for-inorbit-drug-research--bloomberg-93CH-4136376Los Angeles Timeswww.latimes.comSpaceX plans Starship program for in-orbit drug research - Los Angeles TimesUnder the plan, internally called Starfall, SpaceX's Starship rocket would bring products like pharmaceutical components to space in small, unhttps://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-07-15/spacex-plans-starship-program-for-in-orbit-drug-research
SpaceX is working on a program to use its mammoth Starship rocket to develop commercial products in space, potentially opening up a new business line for the world’s most valuable private startup, according to people familiar with the matter.
Recent reports, including those from the Los Angeles Times and Bloomberg, indicate that SpaceX is indeed developing an internal program named "Starfall."Here's what is known about it:Purpose: The primary goal of Starfall is to utilize the Starship rocket for the development of commercial products in space. This aims to open up a new business line for SpaceX.Methodology: Starship would carry small, uncrewed capsules containing products like pharmaceutical components into space. These capsules would then be deployed, spend time in orbit, and eventually re-enter the atmosphere for recovery on Earth.Benefits of Space Environment: The program seeks to leverage the unique conditions of space, particularly micro-gravity and higher levels of radiation, which can offer new environments for manufacturing various commercial goods. This includes pharmaceutical drugs, semiconductors, food, and even beauty products.Commercial Potential: This initiative could position SpaceX as a leader in space-based research and development for commercial goods, building on its success in lowering launch costs.Development Stage: The Starfall program is currently in its early stages of development, and plans could change. Its success is highly dependent on Starship achieving operational reliability, as it has experienced a number of test flight failures.Timeline: SpaceX reportedly aims to make the program operational roughly by the end of the decade.Leadership and Partnerships: A team for Starfall has been recently formed under the leadership of Chris Trautner, senior director of vehicle engineering for the Falcon family of rockets. SpaceX is also in talks with potential customers for this service and is working in conjunction with the military on potential defense applications for Starfall.It's important to note that while the concept of "Starfall" is related to commercial in-space manufacturing, the name might also appear in other contexts, such as in sci-fi games or as a colloquial term for Starship re-entry events. However, in the context of a specific SpaceX program, it refers to this commercial in-orbit research and development initiative.
Cross-post:Quote from: catdlr on 07/15/2025 07:57 pmSpaceX Plans Starship Program for In-Orbit Drug ResearchSourceQuoteSpaceX is working on a program to use its mammoth Starship rocket to develop commercial products in space, potentially opening up a new business line for the world’s most valuable private startup, according to people familiar with the matter.From Google Gemini:QuoteRecent reports, including those from the Los Angeles Times and Bloomberg, indicate that SpaceX is indeed developing an internal program named "Starfall."Here's what is known about it:Purpose: The primary goal of Starfall is to utilize the Starship rocket for the development of commercial products in space. This aims to open up a new business line for SpaceX.Methodology: Starship would carry small, uncrewed capsules containing products like pharmaceutical components into space. These capsules would then be deployed, spend time in orbit, and eventually re-enter the atmosphere for recovery on Earth.Benefits of Space Environment: The program seeks to leverage the unique conditions of space, particularly micro-gravity and higher levels of radiation, which can offer new environments for manufacturing various commercial goods. This includes pharmaceutical drugs, semiconductors, food, and even beauty products.Commercial Potential: This initiative could position SpaceX as a leader in space-based research and development for commercial goods, building on its success in lowering launch costs.Development Stage: The Starfall program is currently in its early stages of development, and plans could change. Its success is highly dependent on Starship achieving operational reliability, as it has experienced a number of test flight failures.Timeline: SpaceX reportedly aims to make the program operational roughly by the end of the decade.Leadership and Partnerships: A team for Starfall has been recently formed under the leadership of Chris Trautner, senior director of vehicle engineering for the Falcon family of rockets. SpaceX is also in talks with potential customers for this service and is working in conjunction with the military on potential defense applications for Starfall.It's important to note that while the concept of "Starfall" is related to commercial in-space manufacturing, the name might also appear in other contexts, such as in sci-fi games or as a colloquial term for Starship re-entry events. However, in the context of a specific SpaceX program, it refers to this commercial in-orbit research and development initiative.Sources:Investing.comwww.investing.comSpaceX plans Starship program for in-orbit drug research - Bloomberg By Investing.comInvesting.com -- SpaceX is developing a program to utilize its Starship rocket for commercial product development in space, potentially creating a new revenue ...https://www.investing.com/news/company-news/spacex-plans-starship-program-for-inorbit-drug-research--bloomberg-93CH-4136376Los Angeles Timeswww.latimes.comSpaceX plans Starship program for in-orbit drug research - Los Angeles TimesUnder the plan, internally called Starfall, SpaceX's Starship rocket would bring products like pharmaceutical components to space in small, unhttps://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-07-15/spacex-plans-starship-program-for-in-orbit-drug-researchSpaceX too...
Quote from: Tywin on 07/15/2025 08:14 pmCross-post:Quote from: catdlr on 07/15/2025 07:57 pmSpaceX Plans Starship Program for In-Orbit Drug ResearchSourceQuoteSpaceX is working on a program to use its mammoth Starship rocket to develop commercial products in space, potentially opening up a new business line for the world’s most valuable private startup, according to people familiar with the matter.From Google Gemini:QuoteRecent reports, including those from the Los Angeles Times and Bloomberg, indicate that SpaceX is indeed developing an internal program named "Starfall."Here's what is known about it:Purpose: The primary goal of Starfall is to utilize the Starship rocket for the development of commercial products in space. This aims to open up a new business line for SpaceX.Methodology: Starship would carry small, uncrewed capsules containing products like pharmaceutical components into space. These capsules would then be deployed, spend time in orbit, and eventually re-enter the atmosphere for recovery on Earth.Benefits of Space Environment: The program seeks to leverage the unique conditions of space, particularly micro-gravity and higher levels of radiation, which can offer new environments for manufacturing various commercial goods. This includes pharmaceutical drugs, semiconductors, food, and even beauty products.Commercial Potential: This initiative could position SpaceX as a leader in space-based research and development for commercial goods, building on its success in lowering launch costs.Development Stage: The Starfall program is currently in its early stages of development, and plans could change. Its success is highly dependent on Starship achieving operational reliability, as it has experienced a number of test flight failures.Timeline: SpaceX reportedly aims to make the program operational roughly by the end of the decade.Leadership and Partnerships: A team for Starfall has been recently formed under the leadership of Chris Trautner, senior director of vehicle engineering for the Falcon family of rockets. SpaceX is also in talks with potential customers for this service and is working in conjunction with the military on potential defense applications for Starfall.It's important to note that while the concept of "Starfall" is related to commercial in-space manufacturing, the name might also appear in other contexts, such as in sci-fi games or as a colloquial term for Starship re-entry events. However, in the context of a specific SpaceX program, it refers to this commercial in-orbit research and development initiative.Sources:Investing.comwww.investing.comSpaceX plans Starship program for in-orbit drug research - Bloomberg By Investing.comInvesting.com -- SpaceX is developing a program to utilize its Starship rocket for commercial product development in space, potentially creating a new revenue ...https://www.investing.com/news/company-news/spacex-plans-starship-program-for-inorbit-drug-research--bloomberg-93CH-4136376Los Angeles Timeswww.latimes.comSpaceX plans Starship program for in-orbit drug research - Los Angeles TimesUnder the plan, internally called Starfall, SpaceX's Starship rocket would bring products like pharmaceutical components to space in small, unhttps://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-07-15/spacex-plans-starship-program-for-in-orbit-drug-researchSpaceX too...The cynic in me wonders how real this is. Not everything SpaceX says they'll do ends up happening (see: Falcon V, LOX/LH2 upper stage for Falcon 9, DragonLab, Red Dragon, Dear Moon, etc.). Are they capable of doing it? 120%. Will it actually get prioritized and happen? Or is this like how Microsoft used to announce a new product line that it's smaller competitors were working on, whenever they start gaining traction somewhere? Or more charitably SpaceX floating a trial balloon to explore if there's enough demand for this to justify their attention?~Jon
Space exploration has progressed from contemporary discoveries to current endeavors, such as space tourism and Mars missions. As human activity in space accelerates, understanding the physiological effects of microgravity on the human body is becoming increasingly critical. This study analyzes transcriptomic data from human cell lines exposed to microgravity, investigates its effects on gene expression, and identifies potential therapeutic interventions for health challenges posed by spaceflight. Our analysis identified five under-expressed genes (DNPH1, EXOSC5, L3MBTL2, LGALS3BP, SPRYD4) and six over-expressed genes (CSGALNACT2, CSNK2A2, HIPK1, MBNL2, PHF21A, RAP1A), all of which exhibited distinct expression patterns in response to microgravity. Enrichment analysis highlighted significant biological functions influenced by these conditions, while in silico drug repurposing identified potential modulators that could counteract these changes. This study introduces a novel approach to addressing health challenges during space missions by repurposing existing drugs and identifies specific genes and pathways as potential biomarkers for microgravity effects on human health. Our findings represent the first systematic effort to repurpose drugs for spaceflight, establishing a foundation for the development of targeted therapies for astronauts. Future research should aim to validate these findings in authentic space environments and explore broader biological impacts.
Quote from: spacenut on 07/01/2025 01:00 pmWhat can reasonably be manufactured in space now? I've heard insulin and ball bearings could. In zero G with the exact amount of metal injected will pool into a perfect sphere that would need no machining. If the moon is to be mined, than the basic raw materials will probably have to be separated out on the surface of the moon. Then the metals can be spin launched in a container and towed to an in space manufacturing facility. It would probably have to be an O'Neill sized or Babylon 5 sized facility to handing all the raw material being brought in, smelted, made into the various components, and the finished product come out the other end. One G can be on the inside outer rim of a spinning station while the center zero G or micro G gravity can be used for the manufacturing area. I don't think in space manufacturing will happen until fully reusable rockets are developed and fully operational to make building large facilities in space, mining operations on the moon, or even on Mars can really begin. We have to get Starship operational, New Glenn Operational, and get New Armstrong operational first as well as Rocketlab's Neutron rocket and others. Yeah, I tend to agree. ISRU/mining really benefits from scale. Unless you’re literally finding gold nuggets or doing very simple ISRU (like MOXIE on Mars) using the atmosphere, you’re going to need large scale to make this worthwhile for export. Stuff on ISS is in general way too small scale. This is true on Earth as well, and likely will be doubly true in space because there’s an overhead to operating in the space environment.
The cynic in me wonders how real this is. Not everything SpaceX says they'll do ends up happening (see: Falcon V, LOX/LH2 upper stage for Falcon 9, DragonLab, Red Dragon, Dear Moon, etc.). Are they capable of doing it? 120%. Will it actually get prioritized and happen? Or is this like how Microsoft used to announce a new product line that it's smaller competitors were working on, whenever they start gaining traction somewhere? Or more charitably SpaceX floating a trial balloon to explore if there's enough demand for this to justify their attention?~Jon
Zero g enabled industry might make sense, if ever such a process is identified and if indeed you can't bypass it in 1 g.Otherwise, it'll make sense to ISRU on Mars for Mars, on asteroids for asteroid belt stations, and maybe on the moon for lunar habitation (more skeptical about that last one)LEO for Earth, however - I have a hard time seeing this. Even with almost-free starship-like launch. There's almost zero incentive to do it, actually there's almost every negative incentive.I think JB was barking up the wrong tree and has realized this since.
Quote from: meekGee on 08/25/2025 07:06 pmZero g enabled industry might make sense, if ever such a process is identified and if indeed you can't bypass it in 1 g.Otherwise, it'll make sense to ISRU on Mars for Mars, on asteroids for asteroid belt stations, and maybe on the moon for lunar habitation (more skeptical about that last one)LEO for Earth, however - I have a hard time seeing this. Even with almost-free starship-like launch. There's almost zero incentive to do it, actually there's almost every negative incentive.I think JB was barking up the wrong tree and has realized this since.Welllll there actually is an incentive, just not a financial one. Arguably it's a benefit to move as much industry outside the biosphere as possible. But if theres any way to pay for that if it's not financially sensible...
Quote from: Vultur on 08/25/2025 11:40 pmQuote from: meekGee on 08/25/2025 07:06 pm 10 Zero g enabled industry might make sense, if ever such a process is identified and if indeed you can't bypass it in 1 g.Otherwise, it'll make sense to ISRU on Mars for Mars, on asteroids for asteroid belt stations, and maybe on the moon for lunar habitation (more skeptical about that last one)LEO for Earth, however - I have a hard time seeing this. Even with almost-free starship-like launch. There's almost zero incentive to do it, actually there's almost every negative incentive.I think JB was barking up the wrong tree and has realized this since.Welllll there actually is an incentive, just not a financial one. Arguably it's a benefit to move as much industry outside the biosphere as possible. But if theres any way to pay for that if it's not financially sensible...There's that kind of incentive to much easier things, like switching to an all electric energy infrastructure already...
Quote from: meekGee on 08/25/2025 07:06 pm 10 Zero g enabled industry might make sense, if ever such a process is identified and if indeed you can't bypass it in 1 g.Otherwise, it'll make sense to ISRU on Mars for Mars, on asteroids for asteroid belt stations, and maybe on the moon for lunar habitation (more skeptical about that last one)LEO for Earth, however - I have a hard time seeing this. Even with almost-free starship-like launch. There's almost zero incentive to do it, actually there's almost every negative incentive.I think JB was barking up the wrong tree and has realized this since.Welllll there actually is an incentive, just not a financial one. Arguably it's a benefit to move as much industry outside the biosphere as possible. But if theres any way to pay for that if it's not financially sensible...
10 Zero g enabled industry might make sense, if ever such a process is identified and if indeed you can't bypass it in 1 g.Otherwise, it'll make sense to ISRU on Mars for Mars, on asteroids for asteroid belt stations, and maybe on the moon for lunar habitation (more skeptical about that last one)LEO for Earth, however - I have a hard time seeing this. Even with almost-free starship-like launch. There's almost zero incentive to do it, actually there's almost every negative incentive.I think JB was barking up the wrong tree and has realized this since.
I'll also argue that there's no real connection between finding a niche process that wants to be in zero-g, and moving global-scale polluting industries to orbit.
I mean, these large-scale processes (think petrochemical, metal foundries, cement) they need an environment to operate in. They can't operate in a space station - it's not just a matter of capital efficiency. They sit next to rivers so they can dump heat and waste, right? Where are you going to dump the waste? Orbit is a terrible dumping ground.
As far as LEO goes, I'm a little disappointed that in 50 years no one seems to have found any manufacturing process that benefits enough from vacuum and zero-g to be worth doing in space.
Making semiconductors on Earth is full of downsides, according to Pilipiszyn. Manufacturers are investing heavily in vacuum technology to remove as many contaminants as possible and develop the best semiconductors. These silicon semiconductors, however, still aren’t strong enough for the demands of new technologies: AI data centers, directed-energy weapons, etc.By taking the manufacturing process to orbit, Besxar is able to use the ultra-high vacuum of space to manufacture better semiconductor wafers for a fraction of the cost—even when factoring in the costs to get to space and back, according to Pilipiszyn.
