SpaceX Ax-2 Private Mission: All You Need To Know

SpaceX Ax-2 Private Mission: SpaceX is preparing to send stem cells to the International Space Station (ISS) on May 21, 2023, in a historic first. This groundbreaking project is part of the Axiom Space Ax-2 mission, which is exploring the effects of microgravity on stem cell formation and function.

The cargo, consisting of these crucial stem cells, will be entrusted to the SpaceX Dragon capsule, which is scheduled to lift off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday at 5:37 p.m.

Upon arrival at the ISS, the cargo will be transferred to a specially designed bioreactor within the station's confines. This advanced bioreactor has been meticulously engineered to replicate the microgravity conditions experienced in space.

Expectations from SpaceX Ax-2 Private Mission

The astronauts participating in the Ax-2 mission will closely monitor the growth and development of the stem cells. Their tireless efforts will be dedicated to acquiring comprehensive data pertaining to the gene expression and metabolism of these cells. Apart from this this will be the first of a series of NASA-funded missions in which astronauts will create induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in space for the first time.

“A major challenge for using iPSCs for therapies in humans is making enough of them at very high quality,” said co-principal investigator Arun Sharma, PhD, a stem cell biologist in the Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute and Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai.

The team from Cedars-Sinai, comprising postdoctoral fellow Dr Maedeh Mozneb and research associate Madelyn Arzt, will be present at the Kennedy Space Center for a week to carry out preparations for the stem cells and their transfer onto the Dragon spacecraft. This initial mission will span approximately one week, serving as a precursor to longer-duration missions planned for the upcoming months. The objective of the research is to analyze the division and DNA uptake capabilities of stem cells during space travel.

Liftoff! pic.twitter.com/c8hzT8pqnf

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 19, 2023

"It is exciting to see the wide range of important research that will be conducted on this mission and to be taking the first steps in developing future in-space manufacturing applications for some of our biomedical products," said Christian Maender, executive vice president of in-space solutions at Axiom Space.

The forthcoming wealth of data from this experiment holds tremendous promise in advancing our understanding of how microgravity impacts the behaviour of stem cells. Such invaluable insights could pave the way for the development of innovative stem cell therapies, primed to address a myriad of diseases and injuries that afflict humanity.