Optical Fibre: ZBLAN
Is ZBLAN fibre drawn in orbit the first real space-manufactured product?
Chapter summary
it is the closest to one.
Key takeaways
- 1
ZBLAN, a fluoride glass of zirconium, barium, lanthanum, aluminium and sodium, can in theory transmit light with far lower loss than silica and transmits mid-infrared light that silica cannot.
- 2
On Earth it tends to crystallise as it is drawn.
- 3
Flawless Photonics drew 11.9 kilometres of ZBLAN fibre on the ISS in a single month in 2024, in 16 draws, seven longer than 700 metres, and has said it filled orders at about $1,000 per metre.
Key figures in this chapter
- 11.9 km
- ZBLAN drawn on the ISS in one month (2024)
- 16
- separate draws; seven above 700 m
- ~$1,000/m
- reported early order price
- ~$19M/kg
- value at that price (Setcoin calculation)
Source: Springer (2026); NASA; SpaceNews; Setcoin
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