Besxar Launches 2 Semiconductor Test Beds on Falcon 9 as SpaceX Sends Up 29 Starlinks
Updated
Updated · Spaceflight Now · Jul 4
Besxar Launches 2 Semiconductor Test Beds on Falcon 9 as SpaceX Sends Up 29 Starlinks
3 articles · Updated · Spaceflight Now · Jul 4
Summary
Two Besxar semiconductor test beds rode a Falcon 9 first stage on an eight-minute, 19-second sub-orbital flight from Cape Canaveral, while SpaceX later confirmed deployment of 29 Starlink satellites.
The Washington startup is using brief trips above the 100-kilometer Karman Line to test whether semiconductor wafers can survive launch, space exposure and reentry without cracking or damage.
Besxar says space’s vacuum could enable ultra-pure substrates and precursor materials that Earth-based fabs struggle to produce as AI-driven chip demand pushes against power, cooling and yield limits.
Twelve Falcon 9 flights were booked by Besxar in October 2025 to refine its microwave-sized 'Clipper Class' Fabships, with rapid launch-and-return cadence meant to speed manufacturing iteration.
The mission was SpaceX’s 62nd Starlink delivery launch of 2026, underscoring how routine Falcon 9 flights are becoming a platform for commercial in-space manufacturing experiments.