Two Startups Awarded Projects Leveraging the ISS National Lab Through MassChallenge

Selected projects to receive funding from CASIS and Boeing through the Technology in Space Prize

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER (FL), November 2, 2021 – The Center for the Advancement of Science and Space, Inc. (CASIS(Abbreviation: CASIS™) The nonprofit organization that manages the ISS National Lab, which receives at least 50 percent of the U.S. research allocation on the International Space Station to facilitate research that benefits humanity (NASA manages the other 50% and focuses on research for space exploration purposes).) and Boeing [NYSE: BA] are awarding up to $500,000 in grants to two startup companies through the Technology in Space PrizeA prize that provides grant funding for business startups participating in the MassChallenge startup accelerator program to conduct innovative research and technology development utilizing the ISS National Lab. The prize is funded by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, which manages the ISS National Lab, and Boeing.. The startups, krtkl inc. and Oculogenex, Inc., were identified through the MassChallenge (Boston) startup accelerator program. The companies will leverage the International Space Station (ISSInternational Space Station) National Laboratory, managed by CASIS, to further their research and technology development 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..

This marks the seventh time CASIS and Boeing have collaborated to fund research from startups through the Technology in Space Prize. To date, a total of $5 million has been awarded to 29 projects through the prize. Many of these projects have already launched to station. For example, LambdaVision took advantage of 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. conditions to improve the manufacturing process for the company’s artificial retina, and RevBio (formerly LaunchPad Medical) utilized the ISS to test an injectable bone glue to accelerate bone repair. Many startups awarded the Technology in Space Prize have gone on to obtain additional funding from outside sources to further advance their research.

“Over the years, this unique funding alliance has opened doors to a variety of innovative companies that did not realize the space station could be a conduit for advancing their research and development,” said Christine Kretz, vice president of programs and partnerships for the ISS National Laboratory. “The Technology in Space Prize continues to represent a shining example of partnership and collaboration that enables opportunity, advances science in low Earth orbit, and supports startups in space. Thank you to Boeing and MassChallenge, and congratulations to the newest Technology in Space Prize awardees.”

Grants to the 2021 awardees (details below) will provide seed funding and assist with hardware costs for flight projects using ISS National Lab flight and crew time allocation. Final award of any grant money is contingent upon acceptance of legal terms and conditions between the recipient, CASIS, and Boeing.

krtkl inc.
Radiation-Tolerant Space Mesh Router for High-Bandwidth Satellite Communications

This project will leverage the ISS to test and qualify the performance a new hardware platform for intersatellite communications. The novel hardware is designed to provide high-bandwidth, high-reliability mesh networking and data processing in space. Successful results will allow the company to advance the technology readiness level(Abbreviation: TRL) A measurement system used to assess the maturity level of a particular technology. There are nine technology readiness levels, and technology progresses from TRL 1 to TRL 9. (TRL) of the hardware to TRL 8, signifying the hardware is fully qualified for use in space. This project will use 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., owned and operated by Aegis Aerospace (formed through the merger of Alpha Space and MEI Technologies), on the exterior of the ISS. Testing in the space environment will provide data on how the hardware responds to long-term radiation exposure, allowing the company to identify failure modes and examine performance degradation over time. It will also enable evaluation of the hardware’s resilience during launch and transport. Once fully qualified, the hardware will be used in a variety of applications, including satellites providing high-speed global broadband internet and high-performance orbital sensing for hyperspectral imaging of Earth and weather monitoring.

Oculogenex, Inc.
Preclinical Validation of a Modifier Gene Therapy to Prevent Spaceflight-Associated Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis in Microgravity Model of Dry Macular Degeneration

This project seeks to test a novel gene therapy in a rodent model on the ISS for preventing vision loss from age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD affects nearly 200 million people worldwide, and there is currently no available treatment for the most common form of the disease. Rodents exposed to spaceflight conditions provide a disease model for AMD because oxidative stress induced by spaceflight may trigger the same pathways that cause retinal cell death in patients with AMD. Oculogenex has identified a gene of interest that could help the company develop a new gene therapy to prevent AMD-related vision loss in millions of Americans. The company will send 20 mice treated with the gene therapy and 20 untreated mice to the ISS. This project will allow the company to determine whether the gene therapy can prevent spaceflight-induced retinal dysfunction and degeneration, serving as a disease model for AMD.

To learn more about the ISS National Lab, including current research announcements to propose projects that leverage the orbiting platform, please visit issnationallab.org.

Media Contact:
Patrick O’Neill
904-806-0035
PONeill@ISSNationalLab.org

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About the International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory: The International Space Station (ISS) is a one-of-a-kind laboratory that enables research and technology development not possible on Earth. As a public service enterprise, the ISS National Lab allows researchers to leverage this multiuser facility to improve life on Earth, mature space-based business models, advance science literacy in the future workforce, and expand a sustainable and scalable market in low Earth orbit. Through this orbiting national laboratory, research resources on the ISS are available to support non-NASA science, technology and education initiatives from U.S. government agencies, academic institutions, and the private sector. The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) manages the ISS National Lab, under Cooperative AgreementA cooperative agreement is Federal assistance that establishes a relationship between the U.S. Government and a recipient in which the principal purpose of the relationship is to accomplish a public purpose of support or stimulation.  Since 2011, the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space™ (CASIS™) has managed the National Laboratory® through a Cooperative Agreement with NASA. with NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration, facilitating access to its permanent microgravity research environment, a powerful vantage point in low Earth orbit, and the extreme and varied conditions of space. To learn more about the ISS National Lab, visit issnationallab.org.

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