Britain has taken the next steps in its space and semiconductor industry with the opening of the National Microgravity Research Centre (NMRC) at Swansea University
The £13 million NMRC facility is the first of its kind in the UK and aims to accelerate research into advanced materials manufactured in the unique conditions of space.
Developed by space manufacturing company Space Forge and supported by the UK Space Agency, NMRC will support a new generation of semiconductor technologies created using microgravity.
NMRC is part of a bigger plan to strengthen the UK’s role in the global space economy and build domestic capability in critical technologies.
A new hub for space manufacturing research
The NMRC is based within the Centre for Integrative Semiconductor Materials at Swansea University. The site provides specialist laboratories, including clean room facilities and advanced semiconductor processing tools.
Space Forge is the first company to operate from the facility through a dedicated incubation bay, allowing it to work alongside researchers and industry partners. The arrangement is designed to encourage collaboration between scientists, engineers and commercial innovators working on next-generation semiconductor materials.
The NMRC will serve as a key research base for developing materials grown under microgravity conditions in orbit, where crystals can form with fewer imperfections than those produced on Earth.
Connecting space and earth manufacturing
The centre plays an important part in the Space Forge’s hybrid manufacturing model. Under this approach, semiconductor seed wafers are first grown in space aboard satellites operating in low Earth orbit. These early-stage materials are then returned to Earth, where they can be further processed using advanced semiconductor processing techniques.
By linking space-based production with terrestrial manufacturing, the company aims to create higher-performance materials that could improve electronics used in energy systems, communications and space technologies.
This model also represents an emerging industrial approach where space is used as an extension of the manufacturing environment rather than simply a destination for satellites.
The NMRC has been funded through the UK Space Agency’s Space Clusters Infrastructure Fund, which invests in facilities designed to grow the UK’s commercial space sector.
Since launching in 2023, the programme has awarded more than £45 million to 13 projects across the country. Combined with industry match funding, the initiative has generated almost £90 million in total investment into space research and development infrastructure.
Several other new facilities have recently opened under the same scheme, including the Westcott Space Hub in Buckinghamshire and the Airbus Launchpad at Airbus Defence and Space’s Stevenage site. Propulsion technology company Magdrive has established a specialist testing site, the Disruptive Experimental Electric Propulsion Lab, at Harwell.
Together, these facilities form part of a growing national network supporting satellite manufacturing, propulsion systems and space-enabled technologies.
Expanding Wales’s semiconductor cluster
The new centre also reinforces South Wales’ position as a key hub for semiconductor innovation. The region is home to the CSconnected cluster, Europe’s first compound semiconductor ecosystem, which has benefited from significant investment from the UK and Welsh governments.
Space Forge’s presence at the Swansea facility adds further capability to this cluster, particularly in the development of advanced materials such as silicon carbide, gallium nitride and gallium oxide. These materials are essential for next-generation power electronics and technologies designed to operate in high-radiation environments, including spacecraft systems.
