Written by Joshua Western, CEO and Co-founder, Space Forge

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Orbit achieved. Systems stable. The Forge is online.

ForgeStar®-1 has officially begun its mission in space. In the critical hours and days after launch, the spacecraft has powered up, survived the brutal environment of low Earth orbit, and established a stable line of communication with us back on Terra Firma.
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These opening operations are fundamental – and they’ve confirmed that ForgeStar®-1 is healthy, talking, and ready for what comes next.
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While this is just the beginning of mission operations, it’s already a huge achievement. We’ve proved that our platform can survive launch, function autonomously in space, and begin responding to ground commands.

From ignition to innovation
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With the satellite healthy in orbit,ForgeStar®-1 is poised to begin the next series of mission milestones. These steps - from capturing our first images to activating the payload and eventually deploying Pridwen - will unfold gradually over the coming months. Each one is designed to test a critical element of our future production in space, helping us learn, refine, and move closer to routine in-space manufacturing and return.

Objective 7: Undertake payload operations
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Once we’ve completed platform commissioning and confirmed all payload systems are healthy, it’s time to light the fire. We’ll switch on the payload and begin validating each component that will create the precise environment needed for in-space manufacturing.

Objective 8: Fire ‘er up – payload operational

Once activated, our onboard platform will create and sustain the controlled conditions required for the production of next-generation materials – with a particular focus on semiconductor development. With a stabilised manufacturing environment, we’ll begin to explore the operational limits of the payload, adjusting key inputs and learning how this system behaves in the real world - 550 km above it as it orbits the whole planet every 92 minutes.

Deploying Pridwen and controlling our descent

Once payload operations are complete, we prepare for the next milestone: the deployment of Pridwen, our prototype re-entry shield.

Objective 9: Deploy Pridwen

Just like we’ll do in future return missions, Pridwen will be released in orbit during a scheduled communication pass. A camera trained on the shield will confirm successful deployment - a critical visual handshake. With Pridwen deployed, the spacecraft’s drag profile changes dramatically, and we’ll officially begin our de-orbit manoeuvre. We’ll also notify the appropriate collision-avoidance authorities that ForgeStar-1 is now descending faster than before.

Objective 10: Provide over-the-air updates

It’s one thing to update your laptop - it’s another to update a spacecraft. Before we begin testing new mission behaviours, we’ll upload a fresh software build and restart the system in orbit. From there, it’s back to checkout procedures, confirming everything works as it should in the new configuration.

Objective 11: Control aerodynamics

With Pridwen in place, ForgeStar®-1 becomes an aerodynamic object. Much like a skier can adjust their posture to change speed, we’ll orient the satellite in different ways to change how quickly it descends. This test is vital to proving that we can actively manage our orbital decay in the future - steering our way home rather than simply falling.

Predicting the end, by design

Objective 12: Monitor orbital shift

Using onboard GPS and our predictive software Aether, we’ll monitor our position and calculate the rate of descent. Every shift in altitude gives us new data on how well our shield and aerodynamics are performing in real space conditions.


Objective 13: Predict re-entry point

As ForgeStar®-1 approaches critical altitude, we’ll use our position data - and tracking support from STFC - to estimate the re-entry point. Aether will help refine the trajectory, telling us when and where our spacecraft will make its final dive.

Objective 14: Complete demise
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This is no accident. ForgeStar®-1 was never designed to return. This mission will end in the upper atmosphere, its structure breaking apart and burning up. It’s a planned and engineered end - a test that proves that in the event of a return system failure in future missions, complete demise is still possible. That’s sustainability. That’s innovation.

ForgeStar®-1’s journey is set to shape every mission that follows. From our first demonstration in-orbit manufacturing to deploying Pridwen, we’re pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in space and proving a new approach to return. Stay tuned as we track the final moments of this trailblazing satellite - and lay the foundations for the future of sustainable manufacturing.