Besxar is advancing an ambitious idea: using the vacuum of space to help manufacture materials for next-generation semiconductors. The startup, founded by former OpenAI staffer Ashley Pilipiszyn, is testing whether orbital conditions can support cleaner, more efficient production steps for advanced chip precursors.
The company has raised nearly $14 million, including a $9 million seed round led by Dauntless Ventures and Overture VC. Its early experiments began with two small "fabships," compact canisters designed to carry semiconductor samples into orbit and back again on a July Starlink mission.
Those initial flights were meant to prove that the payloads could survive launch, remain protected from contamination, and interact with the space environment as planned. Besxar says the samples returned with very low particulate matter, a result that supports its long-term manufacturing concept.
The startup's roadmap includes step-by-step testing: heating wafers, depositing materials layer by layer, and eventually scaling to larger orbital production systems. Besxar hopes to move from prototype missions to larger payloads on future vehicles such as SpaceX Starship, while continuing to use Falcon 9 booster flights to refine the technology.
If the model scales, Besxar aims to supply wafers for advanced chips used in data centers, robotics, and electric vehicles. The broader vision is a new manufacturing layer built around space transport, orbital processing, and faster delivery back to Earth. This approach could help shape a more distributed and efficient future for high-performance chip production.
