Big tech firms explore off-Earth space factories despite high costs, challenges

Manufacturing goods on board zero gravity factories in space may seem like a bizarre and expensive idea. However, big tech companies are slowly becoming interested in the peculiar concept. At first glance this process may seem exceptionally expensive, and the logistics involved in sending materials up and down Earth's gravitational well is the stuff of supply chain science fiction.

With the ability to take heavily pollutive processes off-world and zero gravity conditions providing conditions for higher quality manufacturing, there seems to be some method to the madness. Even new pharmaceutical drugs created in space can be created to a superior level of precision on a molecular level, prompting many large companies with deep pockets to start looking into this far-fetched possibility.

Many industry leaders are now looking into off-world production, with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos particularly vocal on the issue, stating to the media that "it will happen" at some point in the future. Outside of the commercial world however zero gravity factories are already a reality. NASA has funded a 2-million-dollar project to investigate whether a zero gravity laboratory can lead to new gene therapies. Private defense companies are also currently funding research into semiconductor production in space.

There are many conditions space possesses that make it appealing for industry. Our world has a strong gravitational pull, thick atmosphere full of reactive oxygen and variation in temperature throughout the day. Factories often must maintain stable conditions to produce items reliably, utilising machines such as vacuum pumps, refrigerators and cooling systems, all of which come free of charge outside the atmosphere.

The fact that space has a near perfect constant vacuum has sparked particular interest from pharmaceutical companies. Experiments on the International Space Station in producing drugs have found that molecular structures produced are smaller and more consistently shaped than the same compounds produced on Earth. Research between private companies and the ISS are rapidly exploring the possibility of material science advances in space in areas such as neuroscience and cardiovascular disease.

As mechanical automation becomes increasingly sophisticated with advancements in AI, the vision of autonomous off-world factories producing high-quality medicines is moving ever closer to becoming a mainstream reality. Back in July, Varda Space Industries, a Canadian start-up, launched a module into Earth's low orbit intending to autonomously produce Ritonavir, a medication used to treat HIV.

The company, among others, is planning to send a capsule capable of producing materials in space every few months, meaning that methods and discoveries that are commercially viable will rapidly emerge. The costs for such a process will then inevitably drop down with time.

Despite the expense and technical challenges, the incentives of space production still make economic sense to many researchers and industry heads.

It is possible to create perfect production conditions on Earth, as demonstrated by zero-gravity research facilities already in use by NASA on terra firma.

However, these facilities cost hundreds of millions of dollars to build and maintain, meaning that off-world production remains an enticing prospect.

Barry He is a London-based columnist for China Daily.