When Earth-based supply chains become too vulnerable, build off-world.
BESXAR Space Industries just announced orbital semiconductor fabrication using “Fabships” - autonomous factories in space. Perfect vacuum. Zero gravity. No atmospheric contamination. Crystal growth unbound by terrestrial physics.
SpaceX is handling the launch contracts - 12 Falcon 9 missions starting this year. Space Forge partnered with United Semiconductors to develop in-space materials deposition. Axiom Space teamed with Resonac for scalable orbital production.
An ecosystem is forming.
Earth-based fabs cost £15+ billion and take four years to build. They’re vulnerable to geopolitical disruption, natural disasters, and supply chain fragmentation. Space fabs face different physics entirely.
This is supply chain evolution taken to its logical extreme. When terrestrial supply chains become weaponised by export controls and rare earth restrictions, the solution isn’t more resilience. It’s different gravity.
The semiconductors powering AI, quantum computing, and defence systems are moving beyond Earth’s reach. Not because we want to, but because we have to.
Manufacturing in space isn’t science fiction anymore. It’s supply chain security.
