Redwire Space has been awarded a €14 million contract for the design, development and qualification of the 3D BioSystem Facility under a program funded by the European Space Agency (ESA) Research Program.
“We are proud to be developing the 3D-BioSystem to advance critical microgravity bioprinting capabilities,” said Erik Masure, Redwire Space NV Managing Director. “The ability to bioprint cell constructs will be critical for long-duration spaceflight expeditions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond and for sustainable planetary settlements.”
The 3D BioSystem will include a 3D bioprinter, 3D cell culture units and an incubator, and will be able to produce samples in orbit. It could help better understand interactions between cells in thick tissue, create organoids for drug testing and print transplantable organ patches in the future.
Redwire Space NV’s 3D BioSystems facility helps keep Europe technologically independent and competitive, which is critical to the expansion of the global space industry.
Redwire is a leader in microgravity bioprinting. Redwire’s BioFabrication Facility (BFF), a flight-qualified 3D bioprinter, is currently operational on the ISS. The BFF is being used for the BFF Meniscus 2 investigation, which prints the human knee meniscus. The investigation is looking at how bioprinting from space could help treat meniscal injuries, one of the most common orthopedic injuries suffered by U.S. soldiers.
Redwire’s equipment and services are used by government, institutional and industrial customers for microgravity research. Redwire’s on-orbit capabilities advance biomedical capabilities, advanced materials manufacturing and plant biology – with the goal of accelerating scientific discoveries and bringing useful products to Earth.
Find out more about Redwire at redwirespace.com.
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