Launches Microgravity Biotech Industry On Station
Commercial space provider Spacehab, Incorporated, along with
Florida Governor Charlie Crist, recently announced the
Company’s partnership with the state of Florida to establish
a space-based, biotech corridor that stretches from the
International Space Station (ISS) to Earth-based Florida facilities
and resources such as the Space Life Sciences Lab at NASA’s
John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC).
The announcement was made at NASA’s Future Forum at the
University of Miami Bank United Center on April 18, 2008, marking
the establishment of a new "Space Age" industry to produce valuable
products in space that show great promise to save and enhance lives
on Earth.
"Florida is committed to fostering a thriving aerospace industry
and is quickly becoming known as one of the nation’s top
biotech centers," said Governor Crist. "The partnership reinforces
our dedication to the biotech industry. This is an exciting
opportunity to stimulate progress in this new market and in
Florida’s economy." "Spacehab has been working closely with
Space Florida to build a strong public private partnership for the
development of biotech products in space," said Thomas B. Pickens
III, Spacehab Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "As evidence of
the State’s commitment to promote this new industry, Space
Florida has provided Spacehab with both financial backing and
valuable research facilities, including the state-owned Space Life
Sciences Laboratory. Spacehab and the State of Florida are very
excited about our partnership and we look forward to continuing
this vital work that shows strong evidence towards quickly becoming
a significant industry in space."
Spacehab has been sending science payloads to space for 23
years, having flown on 23 space shuttle missions, and has an
intimate knowledge of both the processes and value in making
products in microgravity. With this experience, the Company has
selected various mature experiments to commercialize and is now
implementing a portfolio of life science and space
commercialization missions. This important endeavor is also made
possible through NASA’s recent selection of Spacehab as a
participant for the utilization of the ISS as a National Lab.
Through its newly formed biotech subsidiary which focuses on
‘biospace’ technologies and products, and with guidance
from Spacehab’s Science Advisory Council, Spacehab is moving
forward to fully develop the selected high priority
commercialization targets that exploit the rich microgravity
environment of the ISS National Lab. Of these, development of a
space-based infectious disease model was selected for immediate
processing as it presented the most favorable conditions and
potential for success.
"We’re excited to report that the infectious disease model
flown on shuttle flight STS-123 in March 2008 was very successful
and will launch again in May 2008 on the STS-124 mission to confirm
the results," said Spacehab President, Jim Royston. "The alignment
of three key factors has lead to these milestone developments,"
Royston explained. "As Spacehab has been selected as an official
National Lab partner, we are pleased that the ISS destination now
serves as the long-awaited, on orbit production facility needed for
long duration science that will lead to life saving biomedicines.
Secondly, Spacehab has active agreements in place with space
transportation providers, both foreign and domestic. We are also
poised for future partnerships as the Commercial Orbital
Transportation Services providers mature. And lastly, our
announcement regarding the state of Florida’s leadership and
focus in the development of the biotech space corridor lays the
foundation for the emergence and growth of this new industry."
Spacehab is also teamed with the Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA) in collaboration with investigators from the National Space
Biomedical Research Institute at Baylor College of Medicine, Duke
University Medical Center, University of Colorado at Boulder, and
the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology.