NASA’s SpaceX CRS-30 Mission Overview

More than 40 payloads in diverse research areas will launch to the International Space Station (ISSInternational Space Station) onboard SpaceX’s 30th Commercial Resupply Services mission(Abbreviation: CRS mission) A CRS mission is a cargo resupply mission contracted by NASA to deliver supplies and research to the International Space Station on commercial spacecraft as part of the CRS contract with three commercial companies. As part of CRS missions, experiments currently return to Earth on SpaceX Dragon spacecraft that splash down in the ocean., contracted by NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration. The launch is planned for no earlier than 4:55 p.m. EDT on March 21, 2024, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Below highlights ISS National Laboratory®-sponsored research flying on this mission.

ArgUS-Misson 1
AIRBUS U.S. Space & Defense
Principal Investigator (PI): Kris Kuehnel

AIRBUS U.S. Space & Defense will add the payload adapter ArgUS to its external platform Bartolomeo, a facility on the exterior of the space station that provides power, data, and mechanical mounting. ArgUS allows multiple payloads to fit into one Bartolomeo payload slot. The company aims to validate ArgUS’ capabilities by testing software, advanced computing, Earth observation methods, exterior video capture, and various detectors and images. For example, Ball Aerospace will utilize ArgUS to test instruments and software for Earth observations, and British company Sen will demonstrate its SpaceTV-1, a 4k UHD camera designed for spacecraft and satellite exterior mounting.
Implementation Partner(Abbreviation: IP) Commercial companies that work with the ISS National Lab to provide services related to payload development, including the translation of ground-based science to a space-based platform. (IP): AIRBUS U.S. Space & Defense

Advanced STARCS Technology for Resilience ISS Demonstration (ASTRID)
Sandia National Laboratories
PI: Thomas Bradshaw

This project seeks to test technologies that shield electronics and sensors from radiation in space applications. The team aims to validate component technologies in the high radiation setting of 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) by utilizing the Nanoracks External Platform(Abbreviation: NREP) A platform that on the exterior of the ISS that provides power and a data connection and enables payloads to operate in the harsh space environment. This ISS National Lab commercial facility is owned and operated by Nanoracks. (NREP) on the space station’s exterior. A successful demonstration will pave the way for integrating these technologies into enhanced, radiation-hardened satellite electronics designs.
IP: Nanoracks, a Voyager Space company

Astrobee Multi-Resolution Scanning
Boeing
PIs: Connie Miller, Dr. Leighton Carr, Dr. Marc Elmouttie

This project aims to develop a modular 3D scanning system for the Astrobee platform. The system is designed for high-resolution, mobile 3D scanning of the ISS interior and lays the groundwork for future applications, including technologies supporting lunar surface exploration and the Gateway lunar space station. The project is funded by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), with in-kind support from Boeing.
IP: Boeing

Encapsulate: Personalized Cancer Screening
Encapsulate
PI: Dr. Armin Rad

This project will demonstrate Encapsulate’s automated tumor-on-a-chip platform. The platform is specifically designed for cultivating patient-derived microtumors in controlled conditions outside the human body. Through this project, the company aims to validate an accelerated disease model using their tumor-on-a-chip platform in 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.. Such a model would enable quick screening of chemotherapeutic drugs for safety and efficacy against patient-specific tumors. This project was awarded 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., funded by Boeing and the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space™, manager of the ISS National Lab, through the MassChallenge startup accelerator program.
IP: Space Tango

Gene Therapy to Prevent Spaceflight-Associated Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis
Oculogenex
PI: Dr. Hema Ramkumar

This investigation seeks to test a novel gene therapy for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) using a rodent model on the space station. Patients in the intermediate stage of the disease lack effective treatments. Biotech innovator Oculogenex, Inc. hopes to change this by preventing and reversing AMD symptoms. The company will evaluate its therapy in rodents exposed to spaceflight conditions, which induce retinal changes that mirror AMD pathways observed in patients on Earth. This project was awarded the Technology in Space Prize, funded by Boeing and the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space™, manager of the ISS National Lab, through the MassChallenge startup accelerator program.
IP: Leidos Innovations Corporation

Higher Orbits – Go For Launch! Mission 12
Higher Orbits
PI: Michelle Lucas

Higher Orbits, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, fosters leadership and teamwork among students through spaceflight projects. The organization spearheads the Go For Launch! competition, empowering students to propose space station experiments. The program will support three student-led projects for this upcoming launch: one testing fungus growth and radiation in space; another comparing fruit flies’ diets to assess variations in iron levels under microgravity, potentially addressing bone loss in space; and a third measuring yeast cellular respiration and growth in space versus on Earth to understand the impact of radiation and UV light.
IP: Space Tango

Human Brain Organoid Models for Neurodegenerative Disease
National Science Cell Foundation
PI: Dr. Paula Grisanti

This study examines human neurodegenerative diseases using neural organoid models. Induced pluripotent stem cells from Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis patients were used to create brain organoids. These models will be tested on Earth and in microgravity, where disease progression is accelerated. The research aims to advance biomarker discovery, improve diagnosis methods, and better understand the effects of aging and neuroinflammation on the brain. Results may also help accelerate drug discovery. This project marks the sixth ISS National Lab-sponsored investigation from the National Stem Cell Foundation, demonstrating the foundation’s commitment to cutting-edge space research.
IP: BioServe Space Technologies

Pharmaceutical In-space Laboratory SMALS Cassette
Redwire Space
PI: Dr. Kenneth Savin

This project will advance development of a microgravity platform for crystallizing small organic molecules, which is essential for pharmaceutical drug manufacturing. Uniform crystal size and shape are vital for enhancing drug delivery to patients. Microgravity often yields more ordered and uniform crystals than on Earth. Redwire will leverage its Pharmaceutical In-space Laboratory (PIL-BOX), an existing large-molecule crystal growth platform, and adapt it for small-molecule crystal growth in collaboration with pharmaceutical leader Eli Lilly & Company.
IP: Redwire Space