Update
Space Cargo Unlimited Signs Contract to Conduct In-Space Manufacturing aboard SpaceX’s Starfall Re-entry Vehicle
Space Cargo Unlimited Signs Contract to Conduct In-Space Manufacturing aboard SpaceX’s Starfall Re-entry Vehicle
Luxembourg - 15 Sept. 2026, In-space manufacturing is set to take a major step towards industrial scale-up as Space Cargo Unlimited (Space Cargo) today announced plans to launch a one-tonne space factory providing microgravity services aboard SpaceX’s Starfall spacecraft, which is set to launch on a SpaceX Starship rocket in 2028.
By flying aboard Starfall, Space Cargo will achieve an order of magnitude increase in its capacity for in-space manufacturing, the largest in the sector. This builds on existing 100 kg missions, marking the largest leap to tonne-scale space production, delivering high-volume, high-power space factories built for true commercial applications.
Connecting Customers to Space
The landmark announcement positions Space Cargo as an integration layer between the next wave of launch and re-entry vehicles and the customers who want to use space as a factory floor for orbital manufacturing.
Rather than requiring customers to develop specialist spaceflight hardware, Space Cargo absorbs that complexity through shared capacity, integrated payload support, and end-to-end mission services. This model enables commercial customers to access microgravity as a service, supporting them from payload definition and integration to pre-launch preparation, in-orbit operations, and return to Earth.
Opening Microgravity to More Industries
As part of this service, Space Cargo Unlimited will provide payload capacity and mission services aboard Starfall, enabling multiple commercial customers to access the microgravity environment through a shared in-space manufacturing platform. This approach is designed to make manufacturing in microgravity more accessible to a broader range of industries, opening new high-growth markets and enabling the development of next-generation pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and advanced materials that can only be produced in space.
Building a Scalable Fleet of Space Factories
This mission represents a generational leap in scale, on what is already the highest capacity for microgravity access on the market, opening the door to more frequent, higher-capacity in-space manufacturing missions in low Earth orbit. It also serves as a step in Space Cargo’s broader fleet strategy, scaling from its 100 kg-class factory to one tonne, and expanding further still with REV1, a larger autonomous orbital factory and re-entry vehicle based on ESA’s Space Rider, in development with Thales Alenia Space, reinforcing the scalable commercial mission approach.
A True Assembly Line for Microgravity
Nicolas Gaume, Co-founder and CEO of Space Cargo Unlimited, said:
For more than thirty years, we've known that manufacturing in microgravity can create materials and products that simply cannot be produced on Earth. The challenge has never been the science. The challenge has been making access commercially practical, repeatable and scalable.
We believe space is reaching that moment. By leveraging SpaceX's world-leading launch capabilities for our next-generation one tonne capacity space factories, we're building a true assembly line for microgravity, supporting our customers as the layer between launch providers and manufacturers who want to innovate as fast in orbit as they do on Earth.
Commercial Demand Is Taking Shape
Ahead of the launch, Space Cargo is in active discussions with over one hundred customers and prospects, approximately 40% being in the life sciences and biotech sectors, reflecting early commercial demand for manufacturing capacity in orbit. The breadth of this prospective customer base reflects demand for a shared commercial platform that can support a diverse range of manufacturing and research applications in microgravity, rather than a single application or customer mission.
Innovation in Space, Benefits on Earth
This mission brings Space Cargo closer to its goal of making microgravity a practical tool for innovation, with real-world benefits for people, industries, and life on Earth.
About Space Cargo Unlimited
Space Cargo Unlimited is a European space company pioneering commercial in-space manufacturing. Founded to make microgravity a tool for humanity, Space Cargo Unlimited develops technologies and mission services that enable researchers, institutions and industry customers to develop and manufacture high-value products in space.
Its flagship BentoBox platform provides a standardized, autonomous factory for in-space experimentation and production, supported by end-to-end mission services from payload preparation and integration through launch and in-orbit operations. By deploying its standardized platform across multiple space vehicles, Space Cargo Unlimited is creating a scalable, fleet-based model for commercial in-space manufacturing and helping accelerate the commercialization of the low Earth orbit economy.
Media Contact
Éanna Doyle at Space Cargo Unlimited
