The European Space Agency, in cooperation with the Polish Space Agency and the Ministry of Development and Technology, has selected experiments by Polish companies to be realised on the ISS (International Space Station). 18 projects were selected from 66 submissions.

Experiments proposed by Polish companies from the space sector will be realised during the flight of a Polish astronaut to the International Space Station. The mission is scheduled to take place next autumn. The selected projects concern the development of space technologies, as well as the safety and health of astronauts.

“We have offered experiments related to testing artificial intelligence, mechanical experiments, experiments related to future space mining, testing of apparatuses which can fly in future missions”, said the President of the Polish Space Agency, Professor Grzegorz Wrochna.

One of the most important criteria in the selection of experiments was the time needed for their implementation and the capabilities of the International Space Station.

“We cannot carry too much to the space station, nor can we fit too much on the space station. We also have a limit on the amount of time an astronaut can spend on these experiments. Finally, there is a limitation related to electricity”, pointed out the head of the Polish Space Agency.

The experiments that were rated highest included: LeopardISS – testing a computer to test AI algorithms for space exploration; 0G-CARE – testing the effectiveness of drugs designed to fight cancer cells in the absence of gravity; phoTOGRAV – supporting the development of computer-brain interfaces; LEO-DDS – biodegradable drug-delivery systems in the absence of gravity; TEAMLEO – analysing astronauts’ blood cells for genetic research; and EDDIE-PHP – testing mechanisms for space mining applications.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński