The laboratory is conducted without human contact and is controlled directly by the researcher conducting the research from Earth without the need for the intervention of the astronauts
Update - the launch has been postponed to November 17
A space laboratory developed by the Israeli company Space-Pharma will be launched tomorrow, November 16 at 11:01 am Israel time, towards the International Space Station from Virginia in a supply spacecraft launched to the space station.
The laboratory, whose development was supported by the Israel Space Agency at the Ministry of Science, is unique in that it is conducted without human contact and is controlled directly by the researcher conducting the research from Earth. The space lab launch, which was done as part of the Cygnus supply spacecraft to the space station, was commissioned by an American research institute that is conducting a first-of-its-kind experiment to examine the effect of subgravity on muscle-producing stem cells. This is the third laboratory developed and launched into space by the Space-Pharma company, after two successful launches of tiny laboratories into space in the last two years. The launch will be closely accompanied by the founder of the company Yossi Yamin and his team and the CEO of the Ministry of Science Ran Bar.
According to the Minister of Science and Technology Ofir Akunis welcomed the upcoming launch of the Israeli development and said: "Companies from all over the world show great interest in Israeli developments in the field of space and choose them time and time again. We are expanding Israel's share in the global space market and encouraging entrepreneurship and scientific developments in the field. Development is another Israeli success".
The laboratory will be launched to the space station along with the supply cargo for the astronauts using the Northrop Grumman Anthras launcher. The laboratory includes all the necessary environment for conducting experiments conducted in a liquid medium. In the upcoming mission, the experiments will be carried out inside two tiny laboratory cards, each the size of a business card, only 4x7x0.5 cm, which will be placed in a small box. One of the experiments, with stem cells, actually began on Earth five days before the launch and will continue for seven days At the end of the experiment, the cells will be fixed and frozen for the purpose of continuing the research after returning to Earth in about two months, funded by the CASIS company. Commissioned by the American Sanford Burnham Research Institute and carried out by lead researcher Dr. Shivon Melani, it will test the growth and second division of stem cells for muscle production. Upon the laboratory's return to Israel, the researchers will examine which gene or genes stood out in the process.
Space provides an optimal experimental environment for testing the effect of subgravity conditions on chemical and biological substances, for example to test the resistance of drugs, and more and more scientists and pharmaceutical companies are using this service. The development of Space-Pharma is unique in that the researchers are given the possibility to control the experiment in space from anywhere on Earth, even through the smartphone. The experiments are performed in an automatic process according to a predetermined protocol, but during them the researchers can intervene in the experiment, manage it, retrieve microscopic images, receive data in real time, and more, without the involvement of astronauts in the process.
As mentioned, this is the third laboratory that the Space-Pharma company is launching into space, with the first launch about a year and a half ago, the laboratory satellite "Dido" was launched, and exactly a year ago, the "Nexus" laboratory was launched to the space station, which was successfully returned to Earth. In each of the laboratories four experiments were conducted in the field of life sciences and the results of the studies were published in leading journals.
