The International Space Station, on which astronauts used Redwire’s lab-in-a-box. [Image courtesy of the ISS National Laboratory]
Four astronauts ended a six-month science expedition that evaluated the potential of Redwire technology to produce certain crystals for pharmaceuticals.In November, Redwire Corporation announced that its “lab-in-a-box” was installed in an orbiting laboratory following a launch on SpaceX’s 29th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) mission. The pharmaceutical in-space laboratory (PIL) biocrystal optimization experiment (BOX) aimed to crystallize small organic molecules in microgravity.
Redwire believes its lab-in-a-box can enable the growth of small-batch crystals for protein-based pharmaceuticals. These include aspirin and antihistamines. PIL-BOX can support 10 experiments at a time, and the company plans to cycle through different conditions and different sampl…