Outpost Technologies Corporation has introduced Space Factories, a service designed to enable in-orbit manufacturing. The platform provides standardized modules for producing pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, and advanced crystals, allowing customers to manufacture goods without developing their own spacecraft infrastructure.
The company will serve as the first user of its own platform, planning a mission in 2028 to produce StarFiber, a metal fluoride optical fiber. This material aims to reduce signal loss compared to traditional silica-based fibers by leveraging the microgravity environment to minimize production defects.
Space Factories will operate within Outpost’s CarryAll reentry vehicle. The system manages power, thermal conditions, and pressurization. Modules are designed to scale from the size of a shoebox up to the full capacity of the CarryAll vehicle, which offers 16 cubic meters in the Block 2 variant and 33 cubic meters in the Block 3 variant.
Outpost aims to provide an alternative to manufacturing on the International Space Station, noting that high-energy processes or those involving hazardous off-gassing are often restricted on crewed platforms. The company expects initial demand to come primarily from the pharmaceutical and life sciences sectors.
