Enhanced Microbial Biomanufacturing Under Variable Gravity Conditions in Space: A New Era in Biomanufacturing
November 2024 – International Space Station, Low Earth Orbit – A pioneering experiment launched to the International Space Station (ISS) seeks to validate enhanced performance in engineered microorganisms for biomanufacturing. This groundbreaking research investigates the optimized capability of microbes to produce high-demand compounds, from nutraceuticals to biopolymers, in low-gravity environments, focusing on applications relevant to long-duration spaceflight and sustainable production systems in extraterrestrial settings. The team is led by Dr. Amor Menezes, University of Florida Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and includes academic collaborators from the University of Florida (Dr. Yousong Ding, Dr. Jamie Foster, and Dr. Sean Niemi), the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Delaware. The team’s implementation partner is Rhodium Scientific, and the experiment on the ongoing CRS-31 mission is the third in a series that was funded by DARPA’s Biomanufacturing: Survival, Utility, and Reliability beyond Earth (B-SURE) program.
Expanding the Scope of Microbial Biomanufacturing in Space
In previous missions (CRS-27 and Crew-7), the team characterized the ability of various microbes to produce space-relevant products, including beta-carotene, a provitamin, and specialized biopolymers that could be used in manufacturing on orbit. This third experiment builds upon those studies by confirming that newly-engineered capabilities in the same microbial strains will improve production output. Both improved and original strains are being tested aboard the ISS, and researchers will directly compare enhanced production performance under space conditions with Earth-based enhanced production.
Variable Gravity Simulations: A Key Innovation
The team will also examine the effects of differing gravities on biomanufacturing. A unique feature of this experiment is Rhodium Scientific’s Variable Gravity Simulator (VGS), a centrifuge that enables precise simulations of lunar and Martian gravity onboard the ISS. The VGS increases the force felt by microbial samples from microgravity to preset levels, enabling simulated low (lunar and Martian) gravity environments all within a single space-based platform.
NASA astronaut Nick Hague installed the VGS upon ISS arrival, and initiated the experiment by placing samples in both microgravity and lunar gravity conditions. Astronauts will manage sample tubes over the course of the mission, transferring them from the ISS freezer to the VGS for controlled incubations and then returning them to the freezer at planned times. This process will continue throughout the 30-day experiment, providing vital data on microbial responses to each gravity condition.
Anticipated Impact and Future Exploration
Upon returning to Earth, the frozen samples will undergo in-depth analysis, which will allow researchers to determine if the engineered strains deliver comparable increases in biomanufacturing output under space conditions. The findings are anticipated to contribute not only to future space missions but also to biomanufacturing advances here on Earth, particularly in fields requiring sustainable, low-footprint production methods.
“Understanding and enhancing microbial biomanufacturing in space could redefine how we produce vital resources for long-term missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond,” said Hannah Roberts, a graduate student in Dr. Menezes’ lab who engineered Escherichia coli for the spaceflight experiment. “The potential for engineered microbes to manufacture essential compounds in space brings us closer to self-sufficient space exploration.”
As we look toward a future with humans living and working in space, these efforts represent critical progress in developing sustainable production systems that will support extended human presence off-Earth.
Media Contact:
Jordan Callaham
352-294-3971
astraeus-space@ufl.edu
About:
The University of Florida Astraeus Space Institute is a front door for people who have shared curiosity and skills to help humans thrive as we explore our vast universe. The institute participates in groundbreaking research with leading experts to solve humanity’s next greatest challenge and feel the thrill of discovery that has inspired many generations.
Photo Credit: NASA
The image shows astronaut Nick Hague loading University of Florida experiment tubes into the Rhodium Science Chamber 1 Liter Incubation Vessel (RhSC-1LIV) prior to placement in Rhodium Scientific’s Variable Gravity Simulator centrifuge. Astronaut Barry “Butch” Willmore is holding a Rhodium Science Chamber 4MLS (RhSC-4MLS), which stores experimental samples.
Mission patch for the University of Florida experiment flying aboard the SpaceX CRS-31 mission.
Dr. Heath Mills of Rhodium Scientific and University of Florida graduate student Hannah Roberts readying completed experiment samples for transport to the CRS-31 Falcon 9 rocket.