Space Forge Introduces Reusable Satellites | Revolutionary New Way of Returning from Space to Earth

Space Forge Introduces Reusable Satellites | Revolutionary New Way of Returning from Space to EarthSpace Forge reveals their patentprotected design of a planet-friendly reusable re-entry system, which willenable the low cost and reliable return of satellites to Earth.Although the cost of launching satellites into space has become lower throughthe use of reusability, all current commercial space return vehicles useablative heat shields which require replacement after every flight. SpaceForge is revolutionizing manufacturing by the use of space to makesupermaterials not possible on Earth, but the price and complexity of allexisting return methods limits the range of materials that can be produced.To ensure the return of a manufacturing satellite and its materials, a heatshield is required to prevent excessive heat transfer into a spacecraft duringre-entry from Earth orbit. Current methods of protection include ablativeshields which are not in general reusable like those used on the SpaceXDragon, or silica heat tiles like the US Space Shuttle which were vulnerableto damage and required complex lift control.Space Forge’s Pridwen heat shield uses a high temperature alloy which is largeenough to radiate the heat of re-entry away without burning the material;making it fully reusable. This shield is much larger than the vehicle and sofolds to fit inside the launcher using a modified origami technique.The team at Space Forge have been developing this technology for over fouryears with funding from the UK Space Agency and European Space Agency and havecompleted trials including plasma wind tunnel testing of shield samples, highaltitude balloon drops, origami deployment tests and sea survival.Many future high potential space made products such as pharmaceuticals andvaccines are particularly vulnerable to the shock forces experienced duringthe landing of current re-entry vehicles. Space Forge has developed a waterbased hover net called “Fielder” which is an uncrewed high agility watervehicle which maneuvers itself underneath a re-entry vehicle to soften thelanding and enable quick return to a port.In an Innovate UK funded project Space Forge successfully built a prototypeFielder vehicle and tested it on a lake in Reading, UK and has conductedmultiple drops of scaled satellite models traveling at terminal velocity intothe net prototype to measure shock levels.To enable a reliable return service Space Forge is incorporating the Pridwenand Fielder technology into a reusable satellite platform to create aworld-first in-orbit and return to Earth manufacturing service - theForgeStar™ - that can be deployed from conventional launchers to providerapid, reliable and reusable in-space infrastructure. Space Forge’sForgeStar-1A satellite will be ready for launch from the USA in 2023 when theywill gather key safety & performance data to enable future landings anywherein the world.