Innovation in Focus: Launches in 2024
Axiom Mission 3 launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on January 18, 2024.
December 11, 2024 • By Kris Rainey, Staff Writer
In 2024, seven missions launched from Florida bound for the International Space Station, delivering more than 100 investigations sponsored by the ISSInternational Space Station National Lab. From cutting-edge biomedical research to valuable technology development projects to innovative student-designed experiments, the ISS National Lab provides an opportunity for investigators from academia, industry, and government to address real-world issues using the unique space environment.
Axiom Mission 3
Media Credit: SpaceX
Media Credit: SpaceX
Axiom’s third commercial crew mission (Ax-3) to the space station carried Michael López-Alegría (commander) of the U.S., Walter Villadei (pilot) of Italy, Alper Gezeravcı (mission specialist) of Turkey, and European Space Agency project astronaut Marcus Wandt of Sweden to the orbiting laboratory for an 18-day stay. Ax-3 also delivered more than two dozen payloads sponsored by the ISS National Lab, including stem cell research to improve cancer treatment and a project using brain organoids to improve the modeling of neurodegenerative diseases. Learn more about the research on this mission and how it benefits people on Earth on our launch page.
Northrop Grumman CRS-20
Media Credit: SpaceX
Media Credit: SpaceX
More than a dozen ISS National Lab-sponsored payloads were among the 8,200 pounds of supplies and science onboard Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus 20th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) mission for NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration. These investigations spanned diverse research areas, from testing a new therapeutic for cartilage regeneration to manufacturing specialty optical fibers to demonstrating a new robotic arm system for the space station. Results from this research could lead to innovative solutions that benefit humans both on Earth and on future spaceflight missions in 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) and beyond. Find details and highlights on our launch page.
SpaceX Crew-8
Media Credit: SpaceX
Media Credit: SpaceX
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission delivered four new crew members to join Expedition 70 onboard the space station. During their stay, the astronauts worked on dozens of investigations sponsored by the ISS National Lab, including protein crystallization for pharmaceutical development, research on heart disease, and demonstrations of in-space supercomputing and spacecraft technologies. Our launch page has all the details.
SpaceX CRS-30
Media Credit: SpaceX
Media Credit: SpaceX
NASA’s SpaceX CRS-30 mission lifted off from Florida, carrying more than 40 payloads sponsored by the ISS National Lab. Results from this research could lead to technological advances for future spaceflight missions and the development of novel therapeutics for cancer, arthritis, neurodegenerative disorders, vision loss from age-related macular degeneration, and more. Check out our launch page to learn more.
Northrop Grumman CRS-21
Media Credit: SpaceX
Media Credit: SpaceX
More than 20 ISS National Lab-sponsored payloads launched to the orbiting laboratory on Northrop Grumman’s 21st resupply mission for NASA. The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) funded multiple projects on this mission, including an experiment studying bubble formation to develop highly sensitive biosensors for early cancer detection. This mission also included a project to test an ultra-high-resolution camera designed to capture stunning photos of Earth. Head to our launch page to find out more.
SpaceX Crew-9
Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office Shannon Walker monitors the launch of the Crew-9 mission from SpaceX’s HangarX at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
Media Credit: NASA
The Crew-9 mission patch features a rocket trail to the ISS, coastal waves, a falcon symbolizing the Falcon 9 rocket, the Draco constellation for the Dragon spacecraft, and the Delta symbol, representing global collaboration and space exploration heritage.
Media Credit: NASA
SpaceX Crew-9 launched on September 28, 2024, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This mission carried the 11th Genes in Space student investigation, a gene editing experiment by Isabel Jiang, now a freshman at Yale University. Her study examines how radiation and the space environment affect gene editing mechanisms, which could shed light on genetic risks for certain diseases during spaceflight.
U.S. Air Force Academy cadets launched an experiment to the ISS on Crew-9 to compare root growth at two different orbital altitudes, comparing plants grown on the ISS with those grown on the Polaris Dawn mission. The results could help scientists grow crops for long-duration space missions and in high-radiation environments.
SpaceX CRS-31
Media Credit: SpaceX
Media Credit: SpaceX
NASA’s SpaceX CRS-31, the final launch of 2024, delivered more than 25 ISS National Lab-sponsored investigations to the orbiting laboratory. These included an NSF-funded project studying heart muscle atrophy, a protein crystallization project to develop more effective pharmaceuticals, brain organoid research to test a new drug for neurodegenerative conditions, and an experiment on cold welding for safer in-orbit spacecraft repairs. More info is on our launch page.