– Space Forge Inc. has successfully deployed its novel heat shield, Pridwen, on a parabolic flight facilitated by world leader in zero gravity flights, ZeroG.

– The data gathered will be applied to the first on-orbit deployment of the shield as part of Space Forge’s ‘The Forge Awakens’ Mission.‍


Space Forge Inc., the advanced materials company revolutionising semiconductor manufacturing in space, has successfully trialled deployment of its novel origami-based heat shield, Pridwen, on a zero gravity flight.

The flight was facilitated by ZeroG, the world leader in zero gravity flights, headquartered in Exploration Park, Florida, with members of the Space Forge team entering microgravity to test the heat shield’s deployment capabilities, marking a critical step towards enabling scalable, repeatable manufacturing in orbit.

Named after the legendary shield of King Arthur, Pridwen is designed to ensure safe atmospheric re-entry and satellite recovery. Its high temperature material combats heat flux through radiation - as opposed to the ablation technique employed by standard heat shields - while its shuttlecock-style shield serves as a parachute to enable a safe landing for descending satellites.

Through multiple experiments across two days, Space Forge was able to gather data on both nominal (full) and off-nominal (partial) deployments, that will be analysed and learnings applied to the deployment of the shield on Forgestar-1, which is currently in-orbit following the successful launch aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-14 rideshare mission in June.

ForgeStar-1, Space Forge’s first in-orbit manufacturing satellite, is designed to demonstrate the viability of producing advanced materials in the unique conditions of space. The mission will test manufacturing techniques for next-generation semiconductors while also trialling key return-enabling technologies, including the Pridwen heat shield. By validating both production and re-entry systems, ForgeStar-1 will lay the groundwork for future missions that can forge new materials in orbit and safely bring them back to Earth.

Joining the team aboard the flight was Teacher Dustin Bennett, as part of the ISS & NASA backed 'Space for Teachers' programme, which provides teachers and students with authentic, immersive microgravity research opportunities. Bennett’s students designed disposable capture discs based on some of the themes used for the Pridwen shield, which were also trialled as part of the exercise.

Neil Monteiro, Microgravity Research Manager, Space Forge: "Deploying Pridwen in microgravity with ZeroG is a key step in the maturation process. It proves our shield works in the closest environment to space we can reach on Earth, and takes us one step closer to recovering satellites safely and enabling a new era of manufacturing in orbit."

This milestone brings Space Forge closer to demonstrating Pridwen’s first full deployment in orbit - a crucial step toward making space manufacturing scalable, sustainable, and repeatable.