The expansion to European Union (EU) “follows the company's record-breaking £22.6 million ($30 million) Series A round – the largest Series A secured by a UK space tech company – backed by the NATO Innovation Fund, World Fund, NSSIF and the British Business Bank”, as mentioned in a statement sent to The Portugal News. The investment showcases the Space Forge’s “ambitions to scale up European operations in alignment with its vision for a clean industrial revolution powered by in-space manufacturing.”

The location of the new office “supports the development of a scalable return infrastructure across the continent” and plays a key role in the company’s ambition “to make space a viable platform for industrial-scale manufacturing of advanced materials.” Azores’ geographic position, according to the note sent to The Portugal News, “an ideal return location for low Earth orbit (LEO) missions”, creating new opportunities “for high-frequency satellite return operations and regional partnerships.”

The new office comes at a time when an integration with the United States of America was set, and also while the next-gen ForgeStar®-2 is being developed.

The space company will work together with the Azores’ regional government, bringing the Portuguese facilities online, which is “– the first step in broader plans that include R&D into future platform architectures and the development of one (or multiple) European manufacturing sites for next-generation semiconductors using seed crystals forged in space.”

Quoted in the communiqué, Joshua Western, CEO and Co-Founder of Space Forge, states that arriving in Portugal gives the company the chance to be more open in the EU, “unlocks new partnerships” and puts the company closer “to the ideal return site in the Azores.”

Lisa Bandari, also quoted in the press release, British Ambassador to Portugal and Cape Verde, is proud “to see Space Forge, a pioneering UK company, establishing a presence in Portugal.” Which, in her opinion, also showcases the “strength of the UK-Portugal partnership in innovation and space technology.”