SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft has safely splashed down off the coast of Southern California, bringing back more than 55 investigations sponsored by the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory. These projects, supported by the ISS crew, represent a cross-section of cutting-edge work in regenerative medicine, advanced materials, space biology, and student-led innovation. Results from this research will help accelerate discoveries that benefit people on Earth and foster a robust commercial marketplace in low Earth orbit (LEO).

With the successful return of SpaceX’s 33rd Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) mission for NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), researchers will begin postflight analysis, aiming to advance scientific knowledge that accelerates future R&D in LEO and beyond. Payloads returning to Earth through this mission include the following:

• Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is studying how induced pluripotent stem cells can be used to produce brain and heart organoids in space, which could accelerate regenerative medicine breakthroughs. The project builds on multiple investigations from this team over the years and could further in-space manufacturing to produce stem cell-based therapies for heart disease, neurodegenerative conditions, and more.

• ELVIS is back. Portland State University and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory leveraged the ISS to test the Extant Life Volumetric Imaging System (ELVIS), a new holographic microscope designed to study how life adapts under extreme conditions.
• Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM) is studying how engineered liver tissue containing blood vessels behaves in microgravity. Originating from NASA’s Vascular Tissue Challenge, the project could advance tissue engineering in space to support future organ replacement for patients on Earth and beyond.
• In a project funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, Arizona State University is collaborating with BioServe Space Technologies to study how germicidal ultraviolet light affects the formation of biofilms in space-based water systems. Findings could lead to new ways to protect life support systems during spaceflight and reduce biofilm-related challenges on Earth.
• Multiple student-led projects to prepare the future space workforce were completed on the space station. One project comes from the annual Genes in Space competition, in which students in grades 7-12 propose genetics-related investigations to be conducted on the ISS. This investigation examined the potential use of bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria) as therapeutic agents to combat microbial infections in space. Additionally, the Higher Orbits Go For Launch! program conducted experiments by students in Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia.

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