Outreach and Stakeholder Engagement

The live astronaut downlink was a highlight of ISSRDC 2024.

Outreach and Stakeholder Engagement

In FY24, the ISS National Lab continued to expand public engagement with space-based research and its far-reaching impact on science, industry, and society. This year saw strategic outreach initiatives, a redesigned website for enhanced accessibility, increased engagement with key audiences, and collaborations on award-winning content, all elevating the visibility and influence of the ISS National Lab.

One of the standout achievements was a 112% surge in ISS National Lab website pageviews compared with last year. This year’s 1.7 million views were driven by targeted improvements in the user experience. These enhancements led to higher interaction and longer time spent on the site, which demonstrates their effectiveness. Near the end of the year, the ISS National Lab launched a more user-friendly website design featuring tailored engagement paths for researchers, students, space enthusiasts, and investors.

Complementing the website improvements, the ISS National Lab saw a sharp rise in subscriber growth for Upward, official magazine of the ISS National Lab, with the total number of subscribers climbing to more than 7,700, a nearly 100% increase from the previous year. This growth can be attributed to successful advertising campaigns on social media. The ISS National Lab’s Space Station Spotlight newsletter, which began production last year, attracted nearly 1,100 new subscribers in FY24. These increases demonstrate the public’s growing interest in staying connected with the research and innovation happening on the space station.

This year, the ISS National Lab partnered with Goldfarb Weber Creative Media to produce the gold Telly Award-winning video “Solving Humanity’s Biggest Challenges,” which showcases the impact of space-based research on Earth’s critical issues. The ISS National Lab also collaborated with NASA on a Destination Station outreach event in Boston, connecting space research to key biotech and healthcare stakeholders, including Moderna and MIT, while garnering media attention from outlets like the Boston Business Journal and Boston NPR. This effort highlighted the growing importance of linking space innovation with industry.

FY24 was a banner year for public relations, as the ISS National Lab secured 23,600 media pickups—an impressive jump from the previous year’s 17,362. This growth results from targeted PR campaigns designed to increase awareness of space-based research initiatives and amplify the global impact of ISS National Lab-sponsored projects. These efforts yielded high-visibility media mentions, demonstrating the growing interest in the ISS National Lab’s contributions to advancing critical R&D. Examples include the following:

  • Modern Retina and Scripps News covered an Oculogenex investigation on gene therapy for age-related macular degeneration.
  • Space News interviewed ISS National Lab science team members about the kilometer-length production of ZBLAN fiber by Flawless Photonics on station.
  • Bloomberg spotlighted LambdaVision’s protein-based artificial retina development research, which is aimed at curing retinitis pigmentosa. Bloomberg also highlighted the value of space-based protein crystal growth for pharmaceutical development.
  • Space.com published a feature article highlighting cancer research on the ISS, with commentary from CASIS CEO Ray Lugo.
  • Astronomy Magazine, The Conversation, and Gizmodo covered the first archaeological excavation conducted in space.

Upward also saw increased media exposure, with the following notable mentions:

  • Articles in The Register and Interesting Engineering discussed an MIT tissue chip experiment to study post-traumatic osteoarthritis featured in Upward.
  • IFL Science linked to and quoted an Upward feature covering an investigation on flame behavior.
  • Space Daily highlighted Orbital Sidekick after promotion for an Upward feature about the startup’s technology development on the space station.
  • Linus Tech Tips on YouTube covered Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s Spaceborne Computer-2 and mentioned an Upward article in a video that received 1.4 million views.

The 13th annual ISSRDC, themed “Trailblazing Low Earth Orbit,” was held in Boston and attracted more than 900 attendees. The event featured sessions on technology development in LEO and enabling startups’ access to space, along with keynote speeches from leaders like Kate Darling, a pioneer at the intersection of robotics and society. Jinni Meehan from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy delivered a keynote address on the Biden-Harris Administration’s strategic objectives for space-based R&D, while NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free emphasized the value of the ISS for national research efforts.

ISS National Lab representatives participated in more than 33 speaking engagements in FY24 to highlight the valuable R&D platform available through the orbiting laboratory and increase awareness of research funding opportunities. Examples of key speaking engagements include the following:

  • The ISS National Lab science team participated in the In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (ISAM) Roadmapping Standards and Policies Workshop in Washington, D.C., hosted by Booz Allen Hamilton and the University of New Hampshire, among others.
  • At the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show, the world’s largest gathering of technology companies and researchers, the ISS National Lab moderated two sessions with NASA astronaut Raja Chari and partnered with NASA to host a live downlink.
  • The ISS National Lab presented at the 2024 SelectBIO Space Summit and the 2024 MRS Spring Meeting, and the ISS National Lab’s chief scientific officer participated in a panel discussion at the MPS World Summit’s NIH Tissue Chip Consortium.