Oxford space lab experiment heads to International Space Station

Researchers from the SIL flew to the Kennedy Space Centre (Florida, USA) to integrate the samples into the payload in preparation for the launch, which took place early in the early hours of Tuesday 5th November (UK time).

The samples are housed inside a Science Cube, which will be accommodated inside the ICE Cubes Facility once onboard the ISS; the platform provides power and data to the payload, as well as real-time connectivity with ground, enabling researchers back in Oxford to monitor and interact with the experiment in real-time.

Dr Ghada Alsaleh, who leads the Space Innovation Lab at Oxford, said: 'This is an exciting moment— not just because we're embarking on a journey to space, but because we're bringing along a ground-breaking project that could help people live healthier lives, both on Earth and in Space.

'Our project seeks to uncover how ageing progresses under microgravity conditions, and to test if these conditions could speed up the study of ageing processes that take much longer to observe on Earth. By conducting this research on the International Space Station (ISS), we hope to gain insights that could lead to breakthroughs in understanding and treating age-related diseases. These discoveries could significantly improve the quality of life for people on Earth, reducing the burden of ageing not only for individuals but also for their loved ones and society as a whole.

'Using cutting-edge tools like organoids, 3D printing, and mechanical stress testing, we're trying to understand how ageing works at the cellular level. The goal is to find ways to slow down age-related health issues, whether you're on Earth or up in Space.'

Alsaleh Group

The Space Innovation Lab at the Botnar Institute of Musculoskeletal Sciences at Oxford's Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences (NDORMS), is dedicated to understanding the effect of space microgravity on the ageing process.

Professor Jonathan Rees, Head of NDORMS, said: ‘This pioneering research project demonstrates the international nature of modern scientific research. The collaborations between Oxford, space agencies and industry, have made it possible for researchers to control and observe experiments in space in real-time, which makes the whole process of carrying out cutting-edge research far more efficient.’

The laboratory, which is the first of its kind in the UK, opened in July 2023 and is led by Oxford University’s Dr Ghada Alsaleh. The researchers have direct operational connection to the International Space Station (ISS) to follow their research experiments.