International Space Station National Laboratory

The National
Laboratory

Science in Space for the Benefit of Humanity

The ISS National
Laboratory Missions &
Launches Current Funding
Opportunities Facilities
Directory Upward ISSRDC

Missions & Launches

Science and R&D Going to Station

The ISS National
Laboratory Missions &
Launches Current Funding
Opportunities Facilities
Directory Upward ISSRDC

Current Funding
Opportunities

Explore Your Space-Based Research Options

The ISS National
Laboratory Missions &
Launches Current Funding
Opportunities Facilities
Directory Upward ISSRDC

Facilities Directory

Search Facilities to Help You Conduct
Research on Station

The ISS National
Laboratory Missions &
Launches Current Funding
Opportunities Facilities
Directory Upward ISSRDC

Upward

Pioneering Steps in Space Toward a Cure
for Blindness

The ISS National
Laboratory Missions &
Launches Current Funding
Opportunities Facilities
Directory Upward ISSRDC

Attend the Conference Focused on Space
Station Research

The ISS National
Laboratory Missions &
Launches Current Funding
Opportunities Facilities
Directory Upward ISSRDC

New Podcast: Between a Rocket & a Hard Space

News & Updates

(Left) Space Shuttle Atlantis, the STS-37 mission launched April 5, 1991 and (Right) NASA's SpaceX 32 on April 21, 2025

May 2, 2025

BioServe Launches 100th Mission

BioServe’s expertise has helped scientists around the world conduct research in microgravityThe condition of perceived weightlessness created when an object is in free fall, for example when an object is in orbital motion. Microgravity alters many observable phenomena within the physical and life sciences, allowing scientists to study things in ways not possible on Earth. The International Space Station provides access to a persistent microgravity environment..

Early stage brain cells from NCSF study of primary progressive MS on SpaceX CRS-30 (March 21, 2024 - April 30, 2024).

April 28, 2025

Microgravity Could Be the Key to Developing New Therapies for Neurogenerative Diseases

Millions of Americans live with Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer’s—neurodegenerative diseases with no cure.

Sunrise above Earth's horizon begins illuminating a cloudy Indian Ocean and reveals the terminator, the dividing line between night and day, in this photograph from the International Space Station as it orbited 271 miles above.

April 22, 2025

Innovation in Focus: Earth Observation

Photos from space reveal more about our planet than we could learn with our feet on the ground.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the company’s Dragon spacecraft, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024.

April 18, 2025

Next Mission to the Space Station Features Nanomaterials to Treat Osteoarthritis, New...

Innovative science launching onboard SpaceX CRS-32 will bring real life solutions to challenges faced here on Earth.

Axiom Space astronauts Peggy Whitson and Rayyanah Barnawi producing the Janus base nano-matrix for the first time on station.

April 17, 2025

Manufacturing Nanomaterials in Space to Treat Disease on Earth

The University of Connecticut and Eascra Biotech have teamed up to improve patient care on Earth.

Left: A drop of protein solution less than two and a half centimeters in diameter formed in the RSD onboard the International Space Station. Right: An image showing a computed Newtonian flow diagram for the drop.

April 16, 2025

NSF-Funded Research Heads to the International Space Station on NASA’s SpaceX CRS-32...

These innovative investigations leverage the microgravity environment of the ISS National Lab to advance fundamental science.

Nikki Johnston, a Ph.D. student at Portland State University, stands next to the Extant Life Volumetric Imaging System (ELVIS)

April 15, 2025

ELVIS Has Entered Orbit: Pioneering Imaging System to Enhance Space Biology and Life...

Knowledge gained could shed light on the ability of life to thrive in the most extreme environments of space.

April 3, 2025

Registration Opens for 2025 International Space Station Research and Development Conference...

Join us at the only conference dedicated to highlighting the many advancements enabled by the orbiting laboratory.

MORE NEWS

International Space Station National Laboratory

23 hours ago

Even during lunch, #ISSRDC delivers on engaging content... and great food! A nice change from the freeze-dried snacks in low Earth orbit! Register now: https://issconference.org/ #keynote #greatfood #spaceconference #seattle #microgravity

"Even during lunch, #ISSRDC delivers on engaging content... and great food! A nice change from the freeze-dried snacks in low Earth orbit(Abbreviation: LEO) The orbit around the Earth that extends up to an altitude of 2,000 km (1,200 miles) from Earth’s surface. The International Space Station’s orbit is in LEO, at an altitude of approximately 250 miles.!"

Register now: issconference.org/

#keynote #greatfood #spaceconference #seattle #microgravity ... See MoreSee Less

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The International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory

Solving some of the world’s most pressing challenges through space-based research.

Where? In space.
Low Earth orbit (LEO), approximately 250 miles above the Earth.

Learn More About the ISS National Lab

Research in Space Benefits Humanity

Improving the quality of
life for patients with cancer
and other diseases.

Manufacturing tissues
in space for
regenerative medicine.

Advancing technology
to withstand
harsh conditions.

Growing crops in
remote environments
with limited resources.

EXPLORE RESULTS FROM RESEARCH CONDUCTED IN SPACE

Upward Volume 8, Issue 1 Available Now

In this issue’s cover story, learn how ISS research could lead to a groundbreaking new treatment for macular degeneration. Other features highlight how microgravity manufacturing can improve therapeutic nanomaterials to treat disease and how space-based studies are helping to advance regenerative therapies to reverse heart damage.

Download the Upward Issue

Photo documentation of the Materials ISS Experiment Flight Facility (MISSE-FF) platform aboard the International Space Station.

looking for a research opportunity?

National Lab research announcements (NLRAs) seek proposals that advance R&D in key areas with demonstrated potential to develop into sustainable markets and benefit humanity.

View Current Opportunities

New Podcast: Between a Rocket & a Hard Space