Manufacturing the Future in Space: Semiconductors, Sovereignty, and Ridiculously Audacious Goals | Josh Western
Josh Western | Co-founder and CEO, Space Forge
Podcast Episode Description:
What's the value created in pursuit of ridiculously audacious goals? Josh Western, co-founder and CEO of Space Forge, has spent seven years finding out.
His company manufactures advanced semiconductor substrates in microgravity conditions, returns them via reusable satellites, then grows them terrestrially using what he calls a ‘sourdough starter’ approach. High-purity crystals grown in space become the seed for terrestrial propagation, delivering performance improvements across AI infrastructure, electric vehicles, 5G networks, and energy systems - all without building billion-pound fabs.
But Space Forge isn't just one company. It's five startups bundled together: in-space manufacturing, reentry vehicles, deployable heat shields, predictive landing software, and semiconductor crystal growth. Each could succeed independently, but Josh argues the real multiplier comes from vertical integration. That integration was forced upon them - no one would build it for them in 2018 - but it's become their competitive advantage.
The business model works because microgravity solves fundamental problems with compound semiconductor production. On Earth, gravity causes crystal bonds to rotate during slow growth processes, creating defects that limit performance. In space, those probabilistic rotations essentially disappear. Similarly, the vacuum of space at 500km altitude reduces molecular contamination by 11 orders of magnitude compared to terrestrial cleanrooms. These factors deliver substrates with superior crystal structures - the foundation for everything built on top.
Josh's philosophy centres on ‘payload prima’ - payload first. Everything serves the manufacturing process that generates revenue. The reentry architecture exists to support whatever the payload requires, not the other way around. This focus emerged naturally through development cycles: the semiconductor process drove requirements for power, mass, thermal management, and gentle reentry, which then shaped vehicle design.
The regulatory challenges reveal how novel the proposition really is. Space Forge designs in the UK, launches from America, manufactures in international waters (space is treated like the sea), and lands in Portugal - all whilst trying to avoid import duties at every jurisdiction because they didn't technically manufacture the product in any single territory. One customs official's response: ‘I don't get paid enough to figure this out.’
Yet value creation happens regardless of regulatory complexity. Space Forge already ships substrates to customers, contributing to sovereign European semiconductor supply chains. They're already demonstrating reentry technology that others will use. They're already building regulatory frameworks that didn't exist. The ultimate goal - making space manufacturing so ubiquitous that it becomes boring - drives the direction, but substantial value emerges at every stage.
Josh's recruitment philosophy reflects this journey-focused mindset. You cannot recruit people with ten years of experience making semiconductors in space because the industry hasn't existed that long. Instead, hire for passion and drive. Hire people who won't be bored. Hire across age ranges - the average Apollo engineer was 26, the same age Josh was when he started Space Forge, whilst the UK space industry average is 58. Both bring essential value.
His most striking insight: Space Forge doesn't have an end goal. Success means ‘Space Forge Inside’ replacing ‘Intel Inside’ on laptops - and then becoming so commonplace that no one notices. When someone switches on their kettle and doesn't realise a chip in the grid came from space, they've succeeded. Until that point, every innovation along the journey - from materials science to regulatory frameworks to talent development - creates value worth pursuing.
For Deep Tech founders building companies requiring vertical integration, this conversation offers essential perspective. The moonshot goal matters, but so does everything learned, built, and demonstrated whilst pursuing it. Just like Apollo's legacy wasn't just the moon landing, but the innovations it accelerated.
Show Notes:
00:00 Introduction to Just-in-Time Manufacturing in Microelectronics
00:50 Welcome to the Lab to Market Leadership Podcast
01:24 The Value of Audacious Goals: A Look Back at the Apollo Program
04:41 Interview with Josh Western: Space Forge's Ambitious Vision 07:31 The Challenges and Innovations in Space Manufacturing
09:53 The Importance of Semiconductors and Global Supply Chain
18:53 Vertical Integration and Resource Management at Space Forge
26:21 The Science Behind Microgravity Manufacturing
32:47 The Sourdough Analogy: Space Forge's Production Process
35:17 Challenges in Space Manufacturing and Regulation
37:54 Creating Value and Future Goals
40:50 Focus on Semiconductors: The Critical Technology
44:44 Cost Efficiency and Investment in Space Forge
48:27 Recruitment Philosophy and Team Building
01:01:09 The Importance of Passion and Enjoyment in Work
01:02:56 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
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