The Indian government has announced a historic initiative to conduct biological experiments aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as part of its BioE3 Biotechnology policy. The experiments, led by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in collaboration with the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), aim to study the sustainability of human life in space. The first experiment will examine the impact of microgravity and space radiation on the growth of edible microalgae, a nutrient-rich potential food source for long-duration space missions. Microalgae are ideal candidates for sustaining life in space due to their short life cycle, high photosynthetic efficiency, and ability to generate biomass.
The second experiment will study the growth and proteomic responses of cyanobacteria, such as Spirulina and Synechococcus, under microgravity conditions. This experiment aims to explore the use of cyanobacteria for recycling carbon and nitrogen from human waste during prolonged space travel. The experiments have been developed in association with scientists from the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) and will be carried out as part of the upcoming ISS mission AXIOM-4, with Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla as a crew member.
The initiative is part of the BioE3 Biotechnology policy, which aims to accelerate high-performance biomanufacturing and support innovation and scale-up across six priority sectors, including bio-based chemicals and enzymes, smart proteins and functional foods, precision therapeutics, climate-resilient agriculture, carbon capture and utilization, and marine and space research. The policy was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has been credited with elevating India’s biotechnology sector to a position of global leadership.
The experiments will be supported by the DBT-ICGEB Biofoundry, a state-of-the-art facility that operates on the principle of the Design, Build, Test, and Learn (DBTL) cycle. The Biofoundry aims to develop biotech products for food, agriculture, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and energy sectors and has an in-house production capacity of up to 20 liters. The facility is equipped to scale innovations to industrial levels and enable technology transfer to startups and manufacturers.
The announcement was made by Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology, who emphasized the need to recycle carbon and nitrogen from human waste during prolonged space travel to achieve self-sustainability in spacecraft and future extraterrestrial colonies. The experiments are expected to provide valuable insights into the growth and behavior of microalgae and cyanobacteria in space, which will inform the development of sustainable food systems for long-duration space missions.