Technology
Besxar plans orbital chip manufacturing tests on SpaceX flights
Startup Besxar raised nearly $14 million to test spaceborne semiconductor production across SpaceX missions, TechCrunch reports.
The short version
- Startup Besxar reached an agreement with SpaceX to test an orbital semiconductor factory across twelve flights.[TechCrunch]
- The company raised nearly $14 million, anchored by a $9 million seed round led by Dauntless Ventures and Overture VC.[TechCrunch]
- Two test canisters flew on a July Starlink mission to assess launch survival, space vacuum exposure, and contamination.[TechCrunch]
- Besxar aims to iterate over two years and eventually deploy larger fabrication payloads on SpaceX's Starship rocket.[TechCrunch]
Key facts
- Besxar has reached an arrangement with SpaceX to prototype space-based chip production over a series of twelve flights.[TechCrunch]
- The startup secured nearly $14 million in funding, including a $9 million seed round led by Dauntless Ventures and Overture VC.[TechCrunch]
- Two initial test canisters flew aboard a July Starlink launch to verify structural survival and contamination defenses in orbit.[TechCrunch]
- Founder Ashley Pilipiszyn stated the flown wafer samples carried fewer particulates than Earth-bound wafers.[TechCrunch]
What remains uncertain
- The cause of a flight data system malfunction inside one canister during the July test remains under investigation.[TechCrunch]
- Long-term scaling relies on SpaceX's Starship rocket, which is still under development.[TechCrunch]
Sources
Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.