The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon spacecraft lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, Nov. 4, on the company’s 31st commercial resupply services mission for the agency to the International Space Station.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon spacecraft lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, Nov. 4, on the company’s 31st commercial resupply services mission for the agency to the International Space Station.

Media Credit: SpaceX

Executive Summary

Fiscal year 2024 (FY24) was a successful year for the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory, as the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space™ (CASIS®) continued to advance the ISS National Lab’s mission of enabling groundbreaking research and technology development (R&D) in space to provide value to our nation. This year, CASIS made significant progress in driving demand for space-based R&D, supporting Implementation Partners that supply vital payload development services, and showcasing valuable results from space-based research to stimulate investment in the space sector. These accomplishments demonstrate the great strides the ISS National Lab is making toward establishing a robust and sustainable economy in low Earth orbit (LEO) and in laying a foundation to ensure the success of future commercial LEO destinations (CLDs).

In FY24, more than 100 ISS National Lab-sponsored payloads were delivered to the orbiting laboratory, despite fewer resupply missions. Of the payloads delivered, nearly 80 percent were from commercial entities, which indicates sustained interest from private industry in conducting innovative R&D in space. Additionally, nearly 70 percent of payloads delivered this year were sourced through Commercial Service Providers, underscoring the ISS National Lab’s commitment to supporting the supply side of the LEO economy by allocating crew time and resources for these providers to advance their business models.

“Through the collaborative efforts of NASA and the ISS National Lab, researchers across every major science discipline have access to the unique features of our orbiting laboratory, where they can conduct cutting-edge investigations that truly cannot be done anywhere else. This year, around 80 percent of payloads delivered were commercial, showing the continued growing interest and value in space-based R&D among industry users, which is critical for establishing a sustainable economy in low Earth orbit.”

– Robyn Gatens, NASA Director of the International Space Station

The ISS National Lab continued to bolster demand for space-based R&D among diverse research groups. Projects selected for flight this year were mostly from entities new to space, which demonstrates the success of FY24 solicitations in further expanding the ISS National Lab user community. This year, nearly $25 million of private-sector funding was committed to support ISS National Lab-sponsored projects, almost half of which was from academic and nonprofit institutions. The willingness of these institutions to put their own limited funding toward space-based R&D underscores the value they find in this unique research environment.

To support high-impact research, the ISS National Lab dedicated significant funding to the inaugural Igniting Innovation solicitation, which was issued in collaboration with NASA’s Biological and Physical Sciences (BPS) Division. Five multiflight projects to advance critical cancer research were selected, most of which were from academic and nonprofit institutions that matched the CASIS-awarded funding by a ratio of 1:1. The ISS National Lab partnered with NASA BPS again this year to issue a second Igniting Innovation solicitation, which aims to leverage the ISS for impactful research on cancer and other diseases.

FY24 was a record-breaking year in terms of peer-reviewed publications related to ISS National Lab-sponsored research. The ISS National Lab has maintained longstanding collaborations with the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to advance critical fundamental science, and two-thirds of the 51 publications this year were related to NSF- and NIH-funded projects. Additionally, ISS National Lab-sponsored research continues to result in valuable intellectual property and product development. This year, an NIH-funded project resulted in a patent filed for a muscle tissue chip system, and an ISS National Lab-sponsored educational project led to a new product—an ISS model kit for educators and students.

“The board is incredibly proud of the entire CASIS team for its ongoing management of the ISS National Laboratory. Through its partnership with NASA and collaboration with the growing low Earth orbit ecosystem, demand has never been higher, and we are very excited to see further growth and discovery through the orbiting outpost that brings such tremendous value to humanity.”

– David Radzanowski, Chair of the CASIS Board of Directors

Although challenging market conditions persisted in FY24, the all-time cumulative total of funding raised by startups following flight of an ISS National Lab-sponsored project climbed to $2.2 billion. The ISS National Lab has also continued its legacy of connecting innovative startups with industry investors, and capital introductions through the ISS National Lab have now surpassed 1,400.

This year, the ISS National Lab shifted its educational outreach focus to workforce development and career readiness. Multiple ISS National Lab activities in FY24 helped to equip students with the skills for successful careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, most notably through the James A. Abrahamson Space Leader Fellowship program. Additionally, this year, CASIS signed a contract with a corporate donor that pledged to provide $30,000 over three years to support ISS National Lab STEM education programs and initiatives.

The 13th annual ISS Research and Development Conference (ISSRDC) in Boston successfully brought together industry, government, and academic leaders to discuss the future of LEO R&D, with more than 900 attendees. The ISS National Lab also saw many outreach and stakeholder engagement accomplishments in FY24, with nearly 24,000 media pickups and several high-visibility media mentions. A significant increase in subscribers to the ISS National Lab’s Upward magazine and Space Station Spotlight newsletter expanded awareness of ISS National Lab activities and showcased valuable research successes. Moreover, this year’s redesign of the ISS National Lab website to create specific paths to engagement resulted in a twofold increase in page views.

In FY24, the CASIS User Advisory Committee (UAC), which provides CASIS with user input and perspective about the management of ISS National Lab resources, welcomed several new members.

For a snapshot of ISS National Lab FY24 activities across the U.S., see the map in Appendix C.

“Over the years, NASA and the ISS National Lab have worked in unison to fully utilize the space station’s capabilities in low Earth orbit by opening access and opportunities for compelling R&D to benefit humanity. Through this partnership, thousands of projects have reached the orbital outpost, and hundreds of those investigations have led to peer-reviewed publications to inform the research community, which has now built a demand to leverage station that has never been greater—and we aren’t slowing down anytime soon. We look forward to continuing this partnership with CASIS for users to utilize the ISS National Lab, bringing value to life back on Earth and enabling markets in space.”

– Dana Weigel, NASA International Space Station Program Manager

A Personal Note From Ramon Lugo, Principal Investigator and CEO of CASIS:

As I complete my third year at CASIS, I can proudly say that we are achieving the results that inspired the creation of the ISS in the early 1990s.  I fondly remember Henry Pohl imploring us to create a space station to do science, not a science experiment, stressing the critical importance of developing the capabilities and infrastructure to enable cutting-edge research in space both now and in the future.

I am incredibly proud of what we achieved this year, largely with the help of the diverse community we serve. As we continue to work hand-in-hand with NASA, our strong partnership has allowed us to push the limits of what we can accomplish, and we delivered the first ever Igniting Innovation research solicitation and the best annual ISS Research and Development Conference to date. Our Implementation Partners have enabled the flight of a broad variety of projects that are on the path to becoming valuable commercial products that benefit humanity and the economy.  The scientific community has submitted more research concepts and higher-quality proposals to ISS National Lab solicitations for the second consecutive year, offering exciting opportunities for discovery.

And there’s more to come in 2025. We expect to fly the projects awarded through the Vascular Tissue Challenge in partnership with NASA, we will make selections for the second Igniting Innovation, and we will continue to adjust our solicitations to build on the results we have already achieved. All of this is made possible by the incredible community we serve, and we are grateful to all of our partners.

I encourage you to take a few minutes to read this report, and if you feel motivated, post a comment on our social media or send me a note.  The table is set for more amazing accomplishments, and together we can benefit from the amazing opportunities afforded by our nation’s orbiting laboratory. It is time to make history and cement the ISS as the place for groundbreaking science in space.