The Business for Space Growth Network

Advanced Materials and In-Orbit Accelerator

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The International Space Station above Earth, with a view of the planet's blue and white atmosphere.

Phase 2 Launch 22 May 2025

The BSGN Advanced Materials and In-orbit Manufacturing Accelerator is a Europe-wide, multidisciplinary accelerator dedicated to advancing new materials and novel engineering solutions for both industrial and space applications.

We partner with innovators ranging from start-ups and SMEs to large multinationals, leveraging space-based R&D for product development, innovation, and technological advancement.

The BSGN Accelerator co-funds and supports commercial projects and innovators developing breakthrough advanced materials and manufacturing solutions using in-orbit R&D and microgravity engineering platforms.

Image credit: NASA

The programme fosters close collaboration between space and non-space industries to encourage innovation in high-potential commercial areas. It provides co-funding and expertise to accelerate innovations from concept to commercialisation.

The BSGN Accelerator is an initiative of the European Space Agency (ESA) and its partner, the Satellite Applications Catapult, which manages and delivers the Accelerator for advanced materials and in-orbit manufacturing.

Segments of Interest for the Accelerator

In-Orbit Testing and Demonstration

In-space testing and qualification of new materials, components, and subsystems to establish valuable “space heritage”—particularly important for organisations yet to get products into orbit.

New Materials R&D and Engineering for Earth

Microgravity R&D on specialty chemicals, novel materials, and processing technologies (e.g. high-quality, efficient semiconducting materials).

Onboard R&D Hardware & Facilities

Multipurpose in-orbit R&D, testing, and production facilities, including, but not limited to, furnaces, combustion reactors, 3D printers, and thin-film deposition facilities.

In-Orbit Manufacturing Solutions for Space

In-orbit assembly of large physical constructs to build new space infrastructure. Innovative use of In-Space Manufacturing (ISM) to enable new or improved technology solutions and applications for use in space.

Services

We deliver two key services through the Accelerator:

  • Technology Acceleration and Commercialisation
    • Leveraging ESA co-funding to fast-track the development of cutting-edge materials and manufacturing technologies led by high-potential start-ups, SMEs, and innovators.
    • Providing technical, financial, and commercialisation support to bring high-potential innovations from concept to market.
  • Innovation Advice, Management, and Execution
    • Partnering with corporations to help them harness the potential of microgravity to pioneer material innovations for superior product development. We align corporate strategic innovation goals with capabilities enabled by space-based microgravity R&D and engineering.
    • Through the Accelerator, we provide strategic advice, develop, and source breakthrough solutions from our network of innovators to help our partners overcome innovation challenges.
    • We support the development of a sustainable innovation pipeline spanning research, development, and commercialisation.

Focus on New and Advanced Materials

The aim of this Accelerator is to deliver microgravity-enabled innovations for advanced materials engineering.

Materials produced in space have properties such as increased purity, strength, and precision, offering distinct advantages over Earth-made materials.

Certain classes of advanced materials could greatly benefit from R&D using microgravity, leveraging the unique environment to enhance their properties.

Benefits of Microgravity for Advanced Materials R&D

The in-orbit environment allows gravity to be treated as a variable, fine-tuning the physical properties of materials to achieve optimal characteristics.

Increasing space access is enabling more researchers to study materials in the unique orbital environment, leading to improved materials production at scale on Earth. There is also potential for mass-manufacturing superior materials in orbit for Earth-based applications and further space exploration.

2023 Accelerator Phase One – Dcubed and Photocentric

Photocentric and Dcubed were selected from a strong field of applicants to participate in Phase One of the Accelerator Programme. 

Find out more

2025: Results of the Second Call

Following the second call of the BSGN Advanced Materials and In-orbit Manufacturing Accelerator in June 2025, three groundbreaking projects have been selected for acceleration and deployment in-orbit:  ArcSpace, Starflight Dynamics, and Flawless Photonics.

Selected from a competitive pool of 18 applications across 10 ESA Member States, these projects aim to develop commercial solutions in advanced materials and in-space manufacturing domains by boosting their R&D through the unique properties of the space environment. During the Acceleration phase, BSGN, in collaboration with the Satellite Applications Catapult, the managing partner of the Advanced Materials and In-orbit Manufacturing accelerator, will support the consortiums of this second cohort in refining technical and commercial plans, preparing the selected projects for implementation and deployment in-orbit.

Who's on the second cohort?

Scalable in-orbit electron beam joining & cutting process for assembly & manufacturing operations

Lead Entity: ArcSpace (Startup, France)

Key Partners: CNRS – LPGP laboratory (France)

In-Orbit Manufacturing is being held back due to the lack of available in-space tools/processes, preventing space mission and infrastructure designers from rapidly designing and testing breakthrough products. ArcSpace has developed a sustainable on-orbit joining and cutting solution based on Electron Beam technology, filling this capability gap for near-term in-orbit servicing applications, microgravity materials processing, and long-term in-space assembly of critical systems and large structures.

This mission will deliver a first-of-its-kind in-orbit demonstration of the company’s core welding technology, showcasing safe and controlled welding in microgravity through an innovative contamination-management approach. By proving this critical capability in space, the mission sets the stage for the commercial rollout of the company’s flagship offering: welding-based in-orbit servicing solutions designed to support sustainability and high-value dual-use applications.

White bold text "ARCSPACE" on a dark purple background.

Zero-gravity growth of next-generation semiconductor materials

Lead Entity: Starflight Dynamics (Startup, Germany)

Levion Materials (the newly established specialty division of Starflight Dynamics) aims to produce a new class of semiconductor materials by taking its manufacturing to space.

As disruptive effects like convection, segregation, and sedimentation driven by buoyancy are minimized under microgravity, this new approach leads to the formation of significantly defect-reduced crystals, resulting in ultra-pure materials of a quality fundamentally unachievable on Earth.

This concept builds on well-established growth methods (such as Travelling-Heater-Method and Bridgman technique) and combines precise thermal control with space-ready ampoule technology to create crystals ideal for next-generation electronics, sensing, and quantum applications among others.

Levion is therefore addressing the pressing demand for high-performance materials by paving the way for its space-enabled production.

This mission will demonstrate the crystal growth of advanced semiconductor materials – e.g., cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) and indium phosphide (InP) – inside sealed ampoules. A compact furnace module, pre-programmed to execute precise thermal cycles on 4 to 6 samples, will be used to replicate critical industrial crystal-growth processing steps under microgravity conditions.

The mission will validate not only material performance, but also system-level readiness – including hardware operability in orbit, safety of sealed charge handling, and post-mission recovery.

White text logo reads "SFDY STARFLIGHT DYNAMICS" on a black background.

Scaling ZBLAN fibre manufacturing from ISS success to autonomous production in LEO

Lead Entity: Flawless Photonics (Startup, Luxembourg)

Building on their success aboard the International Space Station (ISS), where they produced nearly 12 kilometres of high-quality ZBLAN (zirconium barium lanthanum aluminium sodium fluoride) optical fibre—an unprecedented length for microgravity manufacturing – Flawless Photonics is now advancing toward fully automated, scalable in-orbit production. By leveraging microgravity to eliminate gravity-driven defects, Flawless Photonics’ next-generation systems will enable consistent, defect-free production of advanced optical materials, unlocking new opportunities in ultra-fast communications, sensing, imaging, and next-generation photonics.

Optical fibres are essential for our connected digital world. They are currently most commonly made of silica glass, which is easy to produce but requires the use of expensive repeaters due to optical losses in the fibre.  Fluoride glass optical fibres, known as ZBLAN (zirconium barium lanthanum aluminium sodium fluoride), has significantly lower signal loss than silica fibres but is prone to crystallization defects when produced on Earth due to convection and other gravity-driven phenomena.  In microgravity, these gravity-driven imperfections are eliminated, allowing for a purer, defect-free microcrystal formation, resulting in clearer glass. This purity can lead to a significant performance increase, opening new markets for infrared transmission and other high-end uses.

 

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What comes next?

Throughout their acceleration journey, the selected project leads will benefit from dedicated 1-to-1 support by the Satellite Applications Catapult, gaining access to tailored support across all stages – from business maturation to the design of in-orbit demonstrations. This ensures both technical and commercial readiness for their missions.

Key advantages for the selected projects include:

  • Expert guidance in navigating the complex space ecosystem, fostering connections with key stakeholders and resources
  • Assistance to refine private funding strategy beyond ESA support, while project leads retain final responsibility
  • Hands-on support in preparing documentation for ESA’s co-funding tools, simplifying the application process
  • Enhanced visibility and promotional support to amplify project exposure across relevant sectors

This initiative underscores the commitment of the BSGN Accelerator to propel innovation in advanced materials and in-orbit manufacturing, fostering collaboration and accelerating the journey from concept to orbit.