Britain’s first ‘space factory’ blasts into orbit on test mission

By Siôn Geschwindt A British-built manufacturing satellite successfully launched into orbit on its first test mission. Cardiff-based startup Space Forge launched the probe — called ForgeStar-1 — aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-14 rideshare mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Tuesday. The launch marks the first time the UK has sent a spacecraft into orbit to produce new materials in the unique conditions of space, according to the startup.  Joshua Western, CEO and co-founder of Space Forge, hailed it as the start of a “new era” for materials science and industry.   “We’ve built and launched Britain’s first manufacturing satellite, and it’s alive in…This story continues at The Next Web

Source:: The Next Web