New biological microgravity test platform

Micro G Scope (MGS) is an innovative approach to the problem of biological testing in space, using an innovative fluorescence contact CMOS microscope and special growing chamber in a CubeSat. The technical requirements for space biology are enormous, and the effort to reduce the cost while maintaining precision and safety is huge. The project’s goal is to solve the problem of the accessibility
(and cost) of biological tests in space by providing not only an instrument for biological experiments, but a whole service for pharma and bio-tech companies that will include: experiment design, cell preparation microscale fluorescence microscope, and calibration chamber. In addition, the microlaboratory could be easily modified to accommodate alternative experiments such as seed and spore germination, embryology studies, and the production of nutrients in space, among others. Micro G Scope‘s first design is aimed at testing cancer drugs in space to extract information on whether these drugs work under reduced gravity conditions. The project is currently at SRR level (System Requirements Review) through PDR (Preliminary Design Review).

Benefits:

• New cell chamber and microscope design for biological experiments in space based on a lensless design with no moving parts and the size of a credit card
• Reduced cost and time to perform the experiments
• New full service for the pharma industry where experiment preparation, mission accomplishments, and data review are transparent for the client