2022
Space milestones
PROMETEO enters orbit
PROMETEO reaches the ISS to study the effects of oxidative stress on neuronal cells and assess possible protection strategies. The experimental hardware developed by Kayser allows cultures and treatments to be managed inside KUBIK, turning the biological protocol into an experiment that can be performed in space.
Artemis I reopens the path to the Moon
It is also the year of Artemis I, which takes a concrete first step towards returning to the Moon. Long-duration missions make it increasingly important to understand the combined effects of microgravity and radiation.
DART changes an asteroid’s orbit
The probe deliberately strikes Dimorphos and changes its orbital period: it is the first successful test of a technology designed for planetary defence.
Missions & Payloads
VEGA-C
First flight of the European Vega-C launch vehicle. It places LARES-2 and six CubeSats into orbit, including AstroBio, a miniaturised laboratory designed to validate biomolecule detection technologies in space.
OSTEOGENIC CELLS
ESA experiment dedicated to studying bone mass loss during prolonged stays in microgravity. It investigates whether the response to gravitational conditions varies between different types of osteogenic cells and whether the composition of the extracellular matrix can modify or attenuate it. It reaches the ISS on SpaceX CRS-26 in November 2022. On 28 November, 24 Experiment Containers are installed in KUBIK-5. The cells are cultured and fixed in orbit; at the end of the experiment, in early December, the units are frozen and subsequently returned to Earth for molecular and comparative analyses by the KU Leuven team.
CYGNUS NG-18
Cargo mission to the International Space Station. It delivers experiments, equipment and supplies. After release from the station on 21 April 2023, it concludes the mission with a destructive re-entry into the atmosphere the following day.
SUTURE IN SPACE
Experiment dedicated to studying the healing of sutured surgical wounds in microgravity. It uses equipment designed and built by Kayser, comprising a tissue culture chamber with a device that simulates the physiological resistance of tissues to tension and monitors its changes during the experiment. The system enables the mechanical properties of tissues and sutures to be studied. Activities aboard the ISS take place in ESA’s Biolab facility.
SpaceX CRS-25
Dragon capsule cargo mission to the International Space Station. It transports experiments, hardware and supplies and returns over a tonne of samples and experimental material to Earth.
PROMETEO
Experiment by ASI and the Italian Institute of Technology dedicated to studying oxidative stress caused by the combination of microgravity and ionising radiation on neuronal cells. It assesses the use of antioxidant nanoparticles as a possible countermeasure to neurodegeneration, with relevance to astronaut health and the study of diseases on Earth such as Parkinson’s. It uses miniaturised automated bioreactors containing cells, reagents and nanoparticles, programmed on Earth to execute the protocol in ESA’s KUBIK incubator. The hardware reaches the ISS on Cygnus NG-18 in November 2022. The cells are kept in KUBIK for four days and some samples receive treatment with polydopamine nanoparticles.
SpaceX CRS-26
Dragon capsule cargo mission to the International Space Station. It transports experiments, supplies and iROSA solar arrays and returns scientific samples to Earth.
ASTROBIO
3U CubeSat hosting a miniaturised astrobiology laboratory. It integrates microfluidics, reagents and sensors to autonomously perform bioanalytical tests based on chemiluminescence. The aim is to demonstrate technologies that can be used on future planetary missions to search for biomolecules and possible signs of life. It is launched on 13 July 2022 on Vega-C’s inaugural flight and released at an altitude of approximately 5,900–6,000 km, with an orbital inclination of around 70°, within the inner Van Allen belt.
BIOFILMS MISSION 2
Second campaign of the ESA-Biofilms programme, continuing the experiments begun in 2021. It compares the growth of A. radioresistens, Staphylococcus sp. and C. metallidurans on stainless steel, copper and brass, using surfaces that are polished or treated with two different laser microstructures. The 24 Experiment Containers are incubated for 14 days in KUBIK-5 and KUBIK-6. The campaign compares three gravitational conditions: microgravity, 0.4 g to simulate Martian gravity, and 1 g. On 2 August 2022, the samples are removed from the incubators and prepared for return to Earth. As with the first campaign, the hardware is designed and produced by Kayser Italia.