Tag: Microgravity Research
-
CAS Space Expands Space Pharma Partnership, Plans 2027 Lihong-2 Debut With Pharmaceutical Payload
CAS Space and Guangzhou Laboratory have begun jointly developing space pharmaceutical payloads and plan to conduct validation experiments for space-based drug research. The first payloads are scheduled to fly aboard the reusable Lihong-2 vehicle on a suborbital mission in the first quarter of 2027. The mission will carry out crystallization experiments involving proteins and small-molecule…
-
Exolaunch Books First SpaceX Starfall Earth-Return Mission for 2029
Exolaunch has signed a contract with SpaceX to serve as payload integrator for a Starfall mission targeted to launch aboard Starship no earlier than 2029, marking the German company’s first commitment to Starship and its first mission involving the return of customer payloads from orbit. Announced on September 21, the agreement expands Exolaunch beyond conventional…
-
Redwire To Fly Drug-Crystallization Labs On SpaceX Starfall Mission In 2028
Redwire plans to expand pharmaceutical manufacturing research in orbit through an agreement between its SpaceMD subsidiary and SpaceX to fly up to 32 drug-crystallization laboratories on a 2028 Starfall mission. The contract, announced during Redwire’s second-quarter earnings call, represents the first dedicated commercial mission for SpaceX’s Starfall reentry capsule. The spacecraft made its debut in…
-
SpaceX Debuts Starfall Reentry Vehicle for Microgravity Research and In-Space Manufacturing
SpaceX has conducted the first demonstration flight of Starfall, a new reentry spacecraft designed to support microgravity research, in-space manufacturing, and the return of payloads from orbit. The Starfall demonstration mission launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Tuesday, marking the first public flight of the vehicle.…
-
Japanese Reentry Startup ElevationSpace Raises $40 Million Series B to Expand Global Operations
Japanese space technology startup ElevationSpace has raised $40 million in a Series B funding round, bringing its total funding to approximately $63.5 million as the company advances its satellite reentry and space transportation technologies. The latest round included participation from existing investors SPARX Asset Management and Beyond Next Ventures, alongside several corporate investors, including automotive…
-
SSC Space Launches SubOrbital Express-5 Mission Carrying 12 Microgravity Experiments
SSC Space successfully launched its SubOrbital Express-5 mission on 31 May from the Esrange Space Centre in northern Sweden, carrying 12 scientific and commercial experiments designed to operate in microgravity conditions. The sounding rocket reached an altitude of approximately 260 kilometres and provided researchers with around six and a half minutes of microgravity during the…
-
Austrian Startup Tumbleweed Ships First Commercial Satellite Ahead of July Launch
Vienna-based startup Tumbleweed has shipped its first satellite, Oasis Alpha, to launch services provider Exolaunch ahead of a planned launch in July, marking what the company says is Austria’s first fully commercial satellite mission. The milestone comes less than a year after Tumbleweed was founded in 2024, highlighting the company’s goal of simplifying access to…
-
UK Space Agency Awards Contracts to Advance In-Orbit Manufacturing
The UK Space Agency (UKSA) has awarded contracts worth more than $1.1 million to three British companies to develop technologies for manufacturing products in microgravity, the agency said. The funding aims to accelerate research into producing advanced materials and medicines in space, where conditions such as microgravity and vacuum can yield higher-quality results than on…