Starlab Space LLC, the commercial space station developer expanding access to low Earth orbit research, announced a partnership with Helogen Corporation, the automation platform industrializing orbit by enabling scalable, regulatory-grade manufacturing and autonomous biological operations in space. Together, the companies will expand how life sciences research is conducted in microgravity, moving from isolated experiments toward persistent, scalable discovery in orbit.
Through the partnership, Helogen will integrate HEL-IOS™, the world’s first orbital biomedical operating system, into the Starlab ecosystem. HEL-IOS™ enables fully autonomous regulatory-grade manufacturing of high-value biomaterials in orbit by integrating biological cultivation, processing, sequencing, and in-line analytics into a single closed-loop system that operates without continuous crew intervention.
By embedding end-to-end automation directly into station infrastructure, HEL-IOS™ transforms orbital platforms from experimental environments into scalable production facilities. Commercial partners can scale industrial output with fewer flights and reduced operational overhead, while researchers gain continuous, automated workflows that accelerate discovery without dependence on crew-tended operations or frequent sample return. The result is a persistent manufacturing capability in orbit, positioning Starlab as an industrial node in the emerging space economy rather than a destination for isolated missions.
“Microgravity is not just a research environment. It’s a fundamentally new manufacturing and discovery regime,” said Shishir Bankapur, CEO of Helogen. “At Helogen, our mission is to unlock biological processes that Earth’s gravity suppresses and translate them into scalable breakthroughs in medicine and materials. Starlab’s globally accessible orbital platform, combined with HEL-IOS™, allows researchers to run, iterate and scale biology in space faster than ever before, shifting from one-off experiments to continuous, high-throughput discovery.”
“This partnership reflects exactly how we envision life sciences operating in low Earth orbit,” said Marshall Smith, CEO of Starlab. “By integrating autonomous biological systems like HEL-IOS™ into Starlab, we’re enabling researchers to move beyond short-duration experiments and toward sustained discovery and manufacturing workflows that can deliver real impact on Earth.”
The announcement builds on Starlab’s growing capabilities in biopharmaceutical and life sciences research in orbit. Microgravity offers conditions that cannot be replicated on Earth, allowing for improved protein crystallization to support drug development, 3D cell growth and disease models that more closely mimic human biology, and advanced stem cell research with potential applications for treating conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s.
Starlab’s market-driven business model is designed to reduce cost, complexity, and risk for researchers and commercial partners. Its single-launch, no-assembly-required architecture enables full certification and operational readiness within weeks from launch, minimizing delays and maximizing efficiency for payload customers. Through its joint venture partners, customers can conduct research aboard the International Space Station, ensuring a seamless transition to Starlab as its next-generation capabilities come online.
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