Space Forge plans to manufacture semiconductors from space

Space Forge just lit up plasma—a superhot gas—inside a commercial satellite, inching closer to its wild plan: make computer chips in orbit with no humans. Cue the comment-section fireworks. Some readers swooned over space-made chips, calling it the next moonshot for cleaner, more precise silicon. Others rolled their eyes: space industrialization? Sounds like PR in zero‑G to them. Fans pointed to ZBLAN, a special glass used in fiber‑optic cables, which has shown better quality when made in microgravity. They argue NASA and industry have long said space’s weightless calm helps materials settle more perfectly—exactly what finicky chips need (NASA notes).

Then came the meta-drama: one commenter dropped the “this was debated days ago” receipt, linking a prior Hacker News thread, sparking déjà vu and “we’ve been here” jokes. Meanwhile, comedians asked if “Prime delivery from orbit” includes free returns and wondered how you RMA a chip that fell from space. Skeptics dragged costs, radiation, and reliability—“cool demo, but can you mass‑manufacture and land it cheaply?”—while boosters countered that Space Forge’s automated approach could dodge human risks and unlock ultra‑clean manufacturing no Earth fab can match. Verdict from the crowd: equal parts starry‑eyed and side‑eye, and irresistible drama either way.