The world’s most valuable private startup is looking to plant its flag in a new intergalactic industry.
What happened: SpaceX is reportedly working on a new R&D program that would help manufacturers research and develop commercial products in space, including pharmaceuticals, food, and even beauty products.
- The company would use its Starship rocket to send tiny capsules full of materials into orbit, allowing them to float around in space for a while before parachuting back to Earth.
Why it’s happening: Space’s unique conditions open the door for new manufacturing methods and materials that simply aren’t possible on Earth. Microgravity, for example, allows for better-quality protein crystals to grow, which are key to discovering and developing new drugs.
- Pharma giant Merck is currently working on a cancer drug variant on the International Space Station, while the Peter Thiel-backed startup Varda Space Industries has already launched and retrieved capsules for drug manufacturing.
Why it matters: Making commercial products and medicines that would otherwise be impossible to produce is an actual use case for space exploration beyond mining the moon and bringing pop stars on 11-minute orbital joyrides.
What’s next: SpaceX is reportedly aiming to get the program off the ground (literally) by the end of the decade, and given that it has dramatically lowered the cost of launching orbit, it's in a better position than most to turn this far-fetched concept into a real business.—LA