Use Case: How Space-Made Semiconductors are Transforming Telecommunications.

4th October 1957 saw the launch of the first Earth satellite, Sputnik 1, paving the way for space exploration as we know it today. It’s with this date that the United Nations commences World Space Week (WSW) every year, as an international celebration of science, technology and as we say here at Space Forge, making space work for humanity. With this year’s theme set on ‘Space & Climate’ we’re taking a deeper look at semiconductors and how those produced in space can enhance global connectivity whilst reducing energy consumption.
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The Project — Revolutionising wireless communications technology with BT Group and the Compound Semiconductor Applications (CSA) Catapult.

We recently won £1M+ funding and support at the Open Networks Ecosystem Competition run by The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, to develop and demonstrate advanced materials made in space. 

BT is hoping to test and measure the performance of these alternative materials, giving us a key platform to demonstrate how space-made materials could improve the thermal performance, energy efficiency and footprint of 5G components and systems. Here’s what the project involves…
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The Objective 1.0 — Crystals grow better in microgravity.

In order to prevent a climate emergency three approaches are urgently needed:

1. Reduce the amount of energy society consumes
2. Switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy
3. Capture CO2 from the atmosphere

We’re focused on the first approach, which is the most impactful in the short and long term; manufacturing pristine and uncontaminated materials are essential to achieving that goal. 

The abundant ultra-vacuum and microgravity conditions of space will allow us to create super crystal materials like semiconductors and alloys which, when returned to earth, will be used to reduce energy consumption and waste, whilst increasing reliability and cost effectiveness.

These advanced materials could also support energy grid transitions from fossil fuels to green energy, and that’s where our project with BT and the CSA Catapult comes in.
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The Objective 2.0 — State of the art power amplifiers

As the UK continues to adopt advanced wireless communications technology, the focus on improving the size, weight and power ratio (SWaP) of the equipment on base station towers is becoming ever more important. 

Introducing the 5G SwaP-C Project; the advanced antenna technologies used in 5G mobile networks and proposed for future 6G networks use ultra wide band gap power amplifiers. These systems are essential for the growth and capacity of the UK’s mobile telecommunications. 

Crystals are an important component in amplifiers. But they’re prone to defects during manufacturing, thanks to contamination from the atmosphere and gravity induced rotation in the crystal lattice. These defects can prevent heat from flowing out of the semiconductor, causing it to heat up and become less efficient. 

For example, the total energy consumption in a cell tower using Earth made materials can be in excess of 11W for every 1W of data transmitted. When applied to the estimated 5 million cell towers worldwide this accounts for approximately 39 MegaTonnes of CO2e (equivalent) emissions per year — equivalent to a mid-sized European country like Ireland or Switzerland.

In contrast, the natural vacuum and weightlessness found in space can be used to create superior quality crystals. These crystals have far fewer defects and therefore offer advantages in thermal efficiency enabling amplifiers to operate at higher frequencies and speed, whilst reducing power consumption and overall running costs for telecom operators.
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The Objective 3.0 — Paving the way to a sovereign supply chain

The project is all about trialling and benchmarking the efficiency of terrestrially produced material in radio applications as a proof of concept, with BT Group testing and measuring the performance of the material.

We’ve already seen some great results, demonstrating that space-made amplifiers can more than halve the total cell tower consumption to around 5W for every 1W of data transmitted. Based on in-orbit studies, we’ve found that a single flight of our ForgeStar® vehicle configured to manufacture this type of semiconductor material can produce enough to outfit over 90,000 next generation cell towers. Over an assumed ten year lifetime, that could save an estimated 4.3 MegaTonnes of CO2e from ever having to be emitted.

It’s a promising start, and we’re hoping that these trials could encourage the uptake of UK made materials to enhance efficiency and promote the benefits of building a resilient, sovereign supply chain.
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The Future — 

With a clear focus on improving growth, capacity and capability of the UK mobile telecom industry, our team is working towards filling a significant gap in the UK’s materials capability, bringing with it the opportunity to create a high-value, all-UK supply chain for 5G solutions.
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Martin McHugh, Chief Executive Officer, CSA Catapult, said:

“We are very pleased to be collaborating with Space Forge and BT Group to develop state-of-the-art power amplifiers. Reducing energy consumption in telecoms devices will be a key challenge to deliver Net Zero. We are looking forward to supporting Space Forge and BT Group to develop this cutting-edge technology and support telecoms supply chains.”