A startup called Besxar is attempting to revolutionize semiconductor manufacturing by building facilities in orbit, leveraging the existing flight cadence of SpaceX Falcon 9 boosters. The company, founded by Ashley Pilipiszyn, a former OpenAI employee, has convinced Elon Musk’s spaceflight firm to allow it to prototype orbital factories across approximately a dozen flights.
Pilipiszyn argues that producing advanced chips in the vacuum of space bypasses the need for the massive, energy-intensive infrastructure required on Earth. Terrestrial fabrication plants demand pressurized clean rooms to exclude microscopic dust, which can ruin delicate wafers. “We’re at a time where it’s actually more cost-effective to go where the physics already works,” Pilipiszyn told TechCrunch. “Don’t do it on Earth where you’re fighting physics.”
To fund this venture, Besxar has raised nearly $14 million, including a $9 million seed round led by Dauntless Ventures and Overture VC. The company’s initial strategy involves flying small, canister-shaped test units known as “fabships” to validate that semiconductor materials can survive launch and remain uncontaminated in the space environment.
Two of these fabships flew aboard a Starlink mission in July. Although one canister experienced a malfunction in its flight data system, the mission achieved its primary goals. According to Pilipiszyn, the wafers exposed to space were cleaner and contained significantly less particulate matter than non-flown terrestrial samples, providing a strong foundation for scaling operations.
Besxar plans to iterate on its technology over the next two years, eventually aiming to transport larger fabrication units on SpaceX’s Starship, a next-generation rocket still under development. Pilipiszyn initially approached SpaceX three years ago about securing Starship flights but opted for the Falcon 9 booster deal to reduce risk while refining her technology. Future milestones include heating wafers and depositing successive layers of materials in orbit.
The company, named after “beskar,” the fictional metal from Star Wars used to create Mandalorian armor, intends to supply leading chipmakers with wafers for advanced semiconductors. These chips are critical for regulating electrical power in data centers, robots, and electric vehicles. While other firms like United Semiconductors and Space Forge are also exploring space-based chipmaking, they face similar logistical hurdles regarding product return volume. Besxar’s scalability depends on the availability of affordable launch vehicles, particularly the operational success of Starship or competitors like Rocket Lab and Stoke Space.
“We believe that there is a solid transport layer now, so we can focus on the application layer,” Pilipiszyn said, emphasizing the company’s desire to concentrate on core manufacturing and rapidly bringing products back to Earth for the market.
Named after beskar? Finally, a Star Wars reference that involves actual metal production.
A former OpenAI engineer? I’d expect someone from TSMC or Intel for this venture. Interesting pivot.
Riding a Falcon 9 is the easy part. How do they get those heavy wafers back to Earth safely?
Orbital fabs sound sci-fi, but eliminating dust contamination is a genuine engineering advantage.