Starlab secures payload reservation from Elethron for autonomous in-space materials processing
Starlab Space LLC has announced a payload reservation from Elethron, an advanced materials and process engineering company developing high-performance crystalline materials for semiconductor applications. The reservation will provide Elethron with a pathway to demonstrate and operate its ĀTAR in-space materials- processing platform aboard Starlab.
Through the reservation, Elethron will deploy ĀTAR, an autonomous and modular platform designed to support crystal growth and materials processing in microgravity. The system will enable Elethron to use the microgravity environment to develop and optimize materials for applications including power electronics, RF systems, integrated photonics, sensing and extreme-environment electronics.
By operating ĀTAR aboard Starlab, Elethron will be able to conduct materials-processing activities during the six-month pilot, generating process data and operational experience that may inform future materials-processing efforts toward downstream qualification and integration.
Its modular architecture uses interchangeable Smart Cartridges, allowing the platform to support different materials processes and customers without requiring a complete payload redesign between campaigns. Starlab will provide important infrastructure as Elethron expands ĀTAR’s deployment in LEO.
“Microgravity has shown considerable potential in reducing defect formation and improving compositional uniformity as a crystal forms,” said Dr. Nick Bailey, Technical Director and Co Founder of Elethron. “These are among the primary factors for achieving higher electronic and optical performance in next-generation semiconductor materials and devices, and ĀTAR allows us to extend our work on these materials into microgravity.”
“Advanced semiconductor materials are foundational in developing next generation electronics in space and terrestrial systems,” said Jonathan Volk, Starlab's director of advanced materials applications and director of growth for Voyager Technologies; VISTA Space Park. “Elethron’s ĀTAR platform demonstrates how Starlab can support the transition from materials research in microgravity to repeatable processing capabilities in orbit.”
The announcement builds on Starlab’s growing advanced manufacturing ecosystem, where microgravity creates opportunities to develop materials and processes that can support new capabilities both in space and on Earth. By providing a commercial platform for repeated research, development and manufacturing campaigns, Starlab is designed to demonstrate the process of moving promising technologies from initial demonstration toward scalable in-space operations.
Starlab’s market-driven business model is designed to reduce cost, complexity and risk for researchers and commercial partners. Its single-launch, no-assembly-required architecture enables full certification and operational readiness within weeks from launch, minimizing delays and maximizing efficiency for payload customers. Through its joint venture partners, customers can conduct research aboard the International Space Station today, ensuring a seamless transition to Starlab as its next-generation capabilities come online.
