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

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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

LambdaVision CEO Nicole Wagner working with bacteriorhodopsin, the purple protein used to create the company's artificial retinas.

June 10, 2026

Biotech Startup Turns to Space to Manufacture Artificial Retinas for Treating Blindness

Artificial retinas produced 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. show markedly improved uniformity, optical performance, and reproducibility compared...

Tiffany Hennessa (left), U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) research biologist, and Zheng Wang, NRL research biologist, analyze a microbial sample in Washington, D.C. Scientists at NRL sent microbial samples to the ISS to investigate how microgravity affects microbial metabolism and biomaterial production.

June 4, 2026

Microbes Reveal Missing Link in Space Manufacturing

Researchers at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) studied engineered Escherichia coli designed to produce melanin, a...

ISS National Lab panel, "Space Research for a Healthy 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

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

MORE NEWS

International Space Station National Laboratory

9 hours ago

Age-related macular degeneration affects nearly 20 million Americans over age 40, causing vision loss that makes loved ones’ faces unrecognizable and tasks like reading and driving nearly impossible. A rarer genetic disorder, retinitis pigmentosa, affects about one in 4,000 people, with vision loss sometimes beginning as early as age 10.

These conditions currently have no cure. LambdaVision aims to one day provide a solution with its artificial retina that could help restore vision. However, gravity interferes with the precise, layer-by-layer manufacturing process required to produce it.

To overcome this challenge, the company turned to the microgravity environment on the ISS
Learn more in the latest issue of Upward:

#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(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. (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.

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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.

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News & Updates

Biotech Startup Turns to Space to Manufacture Artificial Retinas for Treating Blindness

Microbes Reveal Missing Link in Space Manufacturing

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

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

Biotech Startup Turns to Space to Manufacture Artificial Retinas for Treating Blindness

Microbes Reveal Missing Link in Space Manufacturing

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

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.