ATLANTA, GA — January 12, 2026 — SpaceWorks Enterprises, Inc., in collaboration with Astral Materials, has successfully completed Payload Build Round 1 of NASA’s TechLeap Prize: Space Technology Payload Challenge. Following this achievement, NASA has confirmed that the team will advance to Payload Build Round 2.
The team’s Commercial Orbital System for Microgravity In-Space Crystallization (COSMIC) demonstration mission combines SpaceWorks’ expertise in reentry system design with Astral Materials’ cutting-edge in-space manufacturing technologies. Scheduled to launch in 2027, the mission will showcase the on-orbit growth of ultra-high-quality silicon crystals aboard a Momentus Vigoride orbital service vehicle.
The TechLeap Prize challenge is led by NASA’s Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing program in partnership with the agency’s Flight Opportunities program. This milestone marks a significant step forward for COSMIC, underscoring continued progress toward enabling high-cadence, on-demand production that will help unlock the full potential of in-space manufacturing.
About SpaceWorks Enterprises
SpaceWorks Enterprises, Inc. (SEI), headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, is a recognized leader in advanced aerospace innovation. We deliver cutting-edge space and flight product development, systems engineering, custom software solutions, and aerospace economic consulting to a diverse range of customers. SpaceWorks is committed to catalyzing innovation in the commercial space industry—from concept design through to fully operational systems. Explore our mission and discover what’s next at SpaceWorks.aero.
About Astral Materials
Astral Materials, Inc. was founded in 2024 by a team of technical experts in microgravity materials synthesis and hardware design. Astral Materials is commercializing space by building microgravity crystal growth furnaces to manufacture materials of a quality and consistency that cannot be achieved on Earth. We believe microgravity is humanity’s next defining manufacturing tool – lending credence to a future where materials are made without defects, advancing both Earth’s existing technologies and those that have yet to be imagined. Learn more at astralmaterials.com.
About NASA TechLeap
More information about this NASA TechLeap Prize can be found at https://www.stpc.nasatechleap.org/
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