International Space Station National Laboratory

The National
Laboratory

Science in Space for the Benefit of Humanity

The ISS National
Laboratory Missions &
Launches 2025 Annual
Report Orbital Edge
Accelerator Upward International Space
Station Quiz

Missions & Launches

Science and R&D Going to Station

The ISS National
Laboratory Missions &
Launches 2025 Annual
Report Orbital Edge
Accelerator Upward International Space
Station Quiz

2025 Annual Report

View the Annual Report

The ISS National
Laboratory Missions &
Launches 2025 Annual
Report Orbital Edge
Accelerator Upward International Space
Station Quiz

Orbital Edge Accelerator

Apply now: Building Space Businesses

The ISS National
Laboratory Missions &
Launches 2025 Annual
Report Orbital Edge
Accelerator Upward International Space
Station Quiz

Upward

Manufacturing Artificial
Retinas in Space

The ISS National
Laboratory Missions &
Launches 2025 Annual
Report Orbital Edge
Accelerator Upward International Space
Station Quiz

International Space
Station Quiz

Test your knowledge about the ISS

The ISS National
Laboratory Missions &
Launches 2025 Annual
Report Orbital Edge
Accelerator Upward International Space
Station Quiz

Orbital Edge Accelerator: Apply Now

News & Updates

ISS National Lab panel, "A Microgravity Laboratory of the Future," at ASCEND 2026 in Washington, D.C., May 19.

May 29, 2026

Looking to the Future from a Space-based Lab

Collectively, the sessions underscored the pivotal role the orbiting laboratory has played in advancing science, enabling...

The POLARIS experiment undergoes ground-based testing ahead of integration with the MISSE Flight Facility outside the ISS.

May 13, 2026

Antarctic Microbes Put Survival to the Test in Space

The ISS National Laboratory®-sponsored investigation will leverage the MISSE Flight FacilityThe Materials International Space Station Experiment Flight Facility is a hardware platform on the exterior of the ISS that provides exposure to the harsh space conditions for the accelerated testing of materials and technologies with important applications both in space and on Earth. This ISS National Lab commercial facility is owned and operated by Aegis Aerospace., a permanent platform mounted...

April 29, 2026

Go Further, Faster in Space R&D: ISS National Lab Webinar Unlocks Funding & Space...

Designed for early-stage and growth-stage startups across sectors such as space technology, AI, robotics, advanced materials,...

April 27, 2026

From Science Fiction to Science Benefiting Life on Earth

The 2026 Instagram collaboration highlighted how valuable research, like the rigorous science that underpins Weir’s novels, is...

Orbital Edge Accelerator Networking Reception in Cambridge, MA on April 23, 2026

April 21, 2026

From Idea to Orbit: A Networking Night for Space Founders

Designed for early-stage and growth-stage startups across sectors such as space technology, AI, robotics, advanced materials,...

April 9, 2026

Precision Nanomedicine to Target the Most Challenging Tumors

“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. research has given us a clearer path toward optimizing this technology for real‑world cancer treatment,”...

April 7, 2026

Orbital Edge Accelerator 2026 Launches to Unlock Space and Capital for Ambitious Founders

As investment momentum builds across deep tech and dual-use sectors—including AI, robotics, therapeutics, materials, and...

March 26, 2026

Continuity in Low Earth Orbit: The Foundation of a Thriving Space Economy

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. is no longer just a destination for exploration; it is an emerging economic domain. To fully realize its...

MORE NEWS

International Space Station National Laboratory

18 hours ago

Bacteriorhodopsin is a light-sensitive protein that helps microscopic, single-celled organisms survive at the extreme edges of what’s possible on Earth. Scientists are now putting the purple-tinted protein to a new use: restoring vision in people blinded by macular degeneration.

Biotech startup LambdaVision created an artificial retina made of hundreds of layers of bacteriorhodopsin. But to improve production, the team needed to move manufacturing to microgravity.

Discover why microgravity is beneficial for layer-by-layer production and how LambdaVision’s #ISSResearch is helping propel the company toward in-orbit manufacturing.

Learn more in Upward, the official magazine of the ISS National Lab: ow.ly/nf9j50Z5jMX

📸 Juan Patino Photography

#ISSResearch #Microgravity #MacularDegeneration #VisionRestoration
LambdaVision, Inc. Space Tango ... 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 9, Issue 1 Available Now

In this issue’s cover story, discover how a biotech startup is using space to manufacture artificial retinas that could restore vision in people with macular degeneration. Other features highlight a new in-orbit capture system that could help remove space debris and a study on how microbes could be used to produce valuable materials on long-duration spaceflight missions.

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

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News & Updates

Looking to the Future from a Space-based Lab

Antarctic Microbes Put Survival to the Test in Space

Go Further, Faster in Space R&D: ISS National Lab Webinar Unlocks Funding & Space...

From Science Fiction to Science Benefiting Life on Earth

From Idea to Orbit: A Networking Night for Space Founders

Precision Nanomedicine to Target the Most Challenging Tumors

Orbital Edge Accelerator 2026 Launches to Unlock Space and Capital for Ambitious Founders

Continuity in Low Earth Orbit: The Foundation of a Thriving Space Economy

The International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory

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 9, Issue 1 Available Now

looking for a research opportunity?

ready to EXPLOre?

Stay Connected

Support Science in Space
for the Benefit of Humanity

Orbital Edge Accelerator: Apply Now

News & Updates

Looking to the Future from a Space-based Lab

Antarctic Microbes Put Survival to the Test in Space

Go Further, Faster in Space R&D: ISS National Lab Webinar Unlocks Funding & Space...

From Science Fiction to Science Benefiting Life on Earth

From Idea to Orbit: A Networking Night for Space Founders

Precision Nanomedicine to Target the Most Challenging Tumors

Orbital Edge Accelerator 2026 Launches to Unlock Space and Capital for Ambitious Founders

Continuity in Low Earth Orbit: The Foundation of a Thriving Space Economy

The International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory

Research in Space Benefits Humanity

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

Manufacturing tissues in space for regenerative medicine. arrow

Advancing technology to withstand harsh conditions. arrow

Growing crops in remote environments with limited resources. arrow

EXPLORE RESULTS FROM RESEARCH CONDUCTED IN SPACE

Upward Volume 9, Issue 1 Available Now

looking for a research opportunity?

ready to EXPLOre?

Join our mailing list to receive the latest ISS National Lab news and updates.

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.