In-Orbit Activities: The ISS as a Research Platform

NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson works on a computer inside the International Space Station's Quest airlock

NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson works on a computer inside the International Space Station's Quest airlock

Media Credit: NASA

In-Orbit Activities: The ISS as a Research Platform

In FY24, the ISS National Lab advanced its mission with a range of impactful in-orbit activities that drove scientific discovery and innovation. Despite fewer cargo resupply missions this year, the ISS National Lab maintained high research productivity. Key projects in materials science, biotechnology, and Earth observation leveraged the unique space environment to gain insights unattainable on Earth, underscoring the ISS National Lab’s role as a vital platform for fundamental and applied research.

This year, 103 ISS National Lab-sponsored payloads were delivered to the space station, marking the second-highest annual total ever. Of these, 80 percent were from commercial entities, reflecting the increasing dominance of commercial payloads, which is driven by growth in the space economy and increased private sector interest in space-based R&D. Since transitioning to nonprofit management, the total number of ISS National Lab-sponsored payloads delivered now exceeds 800, and space-based research activities have increased over the past five years. The ISS National Lab’s commitment to broadening research opportunities is evident from the robust array of projects initiated and completed this year.

In FY24, there were eight launches, including four Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) missions (Northrop Grumman (NG)-20, NG-21, SpaceX CRS-29, and SpaceX CRS-30). Additionally, astronauts launched to station on four commercial crew missions (Axiom (Ax)-3, SpaceX Crew-8, SpaceX Crew-9, and the NASA-Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test) and worked on many ISS National Lab-sponsored investigations during their time on the space station.

This year, a host of industry partners conducted R&D onboard the ISS—from large commercial companies to innovative startups that were awarded the Technology in Space Prize (funded by CASIS and Boeing in partnership with the MassChallenge startup accelerator program):

  • Boeing tested the effectiveness and durability of an antimicrobial coating in space to improve health and safety in space habitats.
  • Boeing and CSIRO, the Australian government research and funding agency, used NASA’s free-flying robotic Astrobee system to test innovative mapping technology by creating 3D space station maps.
  • Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) tested its updated HPE Spaceborne Computer-2, which aims to reshape the trajectory of high-performance computing in space.
  • Startup Oculogenex tested a new gene therapy to prevent and even reverse vision loss from age-related macular degeneration, which affects more than 200 million people globally.
  • Startup Encapsulate tested its automated tumor-on-a-chip system to grow patient-derived cancer cells for testing chemotherapeutic drugs.

“Conducting our gene therapy research aboard the ISS has provided Oculogenex with unparalleled insights into the effects of microgravity on retinal cell behavior. This unique platform has expanded our understanding of a novel treatment for dry macular degeneration, helping us validate how this breakthrough therapy could transform patient care back on Earth.”

– Hema Ramkumar, CEO and Founder of Oculogenex

Multiple investigations that launched in FY24 sought to advance the key focus area of in-space production applications, for example:

  • Flawless Photonics advanced the company’s method for the in-space manufacturing of ZBLAN optical fiber for communications, sensor, and laser technology applications.
  • LambdaVision continued research to refine its process for in-space manufacturing of artificial retinas to restore significant vision in patients with retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic disorder that causes vision loss.
  • Redwire Space printed human cardiac cells in space for the first time using its BioFabrication Facility (BFF).

U.S. government agencies continued to support space-based fundamental science, for example:

  • An NSF-funded project from the University of California, San Francisco, studied how liver cells regenerate in microgravity to better understand the relationship between aging of the immune system and the ability of the liver to heal itself.
  • An NSF-funded project from the University of Connecticut used engineered cartilage tissue to test a therapy using innovative Janus nanomaterials that may help repair cartilage in patients with degenerative joint diseases.
  • An NSF-funded project from Florida International University and Colorado Mesa University explores the behavior of active colloids in microgravity, focusing on their self-assembly properties for applications from targeted drug delivery to water desalination.

In-orbit activities included studies from several academic and research institutions, for example:

  • The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory studied  microbes in space to uncover new melanin variants for various applications, including radiation protection for space missions.
  • The University of California, San Diego explored brain aging in space to inform potential applications for treating and preventing late-onset diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia.
  • The National Stem Cell Foundation continued a series of experiments studying brain organoids to advance research on neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
  • The University of California, Santa Barbara used gel-coated tubes to study how the mucus lining of the lungs affects drug delivery.
  • The Sanford Stem Cell Institute at the University of California, San Diego, launched two investigations building on previous ISS research:
    • One studies tumor organoids in microgravity to identify changes that could be used as early warning signs of cancer to improve diagnosis and treatment.
    • The other collects private astronauts’ blood cells to evaluate DNA damage and changes in blood enzymes during and after spaceflight to better understand their role in health and disease.

Examples of education-related projects launched this year include:

  • The Choctaw Nation and Oklahoma State University launched Choctaw heirloom seeds for an educational project in which students grow space-flown seeds to determine if spaceflight exposure affects plant growth.
  • A student-led experiment investigated whether a component in horseshoe crab blood can be used to detect bacterial contamination in space as it does on Earth.

Examples of in-orbit activities for projects supported by Commercial Service Providers include:

  • Redwire Corporation launched PIL-BOX, an in-space pharmaceutical manufacturing platform that enables the growth of small-batch crystals of proteins and other biomolecules for pharmaceutical development.
  • Rhodium Scientific partnered with the U.S. Air Force Academy to study the root growth of Arabidopsis plants, a member of the mustard plant family, at two different orbital altitudes in conjunction with the Polaris Dawn mission, and results could provide insights into the production of crops on long-duration space missions and in high-radiation environments.
  • Space Tango supported a follow-on investigation from the University of Notre Dame exploring how bubbles formed in microgravity can significantly enhance biosensing technology.

The fact that there were only four cargo flights to the ISS this year, compared with five in previous years, affected ISS National Lab crew time utilization. However, the ISS National Lab utilized 791 crew hours, which is more than last year and only slightly lower than the previous five-year average. Despite a constraint in cargo flights, the ISS National Lab demonstrated efficient resource allocation by strategically prioritizing high-impact research projects. This management ensured that essential experiments continued with minimal disruption and demonstrates resilience in maintaining robust research output despite logistical challenges.