ORLANDO, Fla. — Voyager Technologies and Exobiosphere are partnering on a new mission aboard the International Space Station aimed at making automated biological research in microgravity more accessible.
The companies announced a mission management contract for Exobiosphere’s Orbital High-Throughput Screener, a miniaturized platform designed to run automated drug-screening experiments in orbit.
Voyager Technologies Europe will serve as mission integrator for the payload. The company said it will provide project management support, safety and verification work under NASA Safety Review standards, integration aboard the ISS and coordination of on-orbit operations.
“Our mission management services exist to build a clear path for innovative ideas to become a reality in space,” said Matt Magaña, president of space, defense and national security at Voyager. “Facilitating this access to the ISS is critical to improving life here on Earth.”
Exobiosphere said the platform is designed for repeat use, allowing samples and consumable elements to be exchanged between campaigns. The company said that would allow pharmaceutical and biotech clients to run a continuous pipeline of experiments without needing new hardware deployed each time.
“OHTS is the first payload of its kind, capable of running over 2,000 simultaneous drug screening samples in a single mission, with integrated brightfield and fluorescence microscopy, luminescence reading, and fully autonomous media and reagent exchange,” said Olivia Borgue, co-founder and director of engineering at Exobiosphere.
Kyle Acierno, CEO of Exobiosphere, said research and biotech partners have been asking for high-throughput automated systems and increased access to space-based research.
“Hardware on station means we can serve partners continuously and start building the operational track record that opens the door to pharma and biotech at scale,” Acierno said.
The companies said the contract is part of a broader effort to expand access to low-Earth orbit and use microgravity research to support drug discovery and biomedical research.
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