BioAsteroid Archives - Astrobiology

KUBIK onboard the ISS -- NASA

Astropharmacy / Biotechnology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Comets and Asteroids, Commercial & Private Sector, Meteorites & Asteroids, Microbiology & Virology, Microgravity, Missions & Hardware, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Space Life Science, Space Stations, Status Report

Microbial Biomining From Asteroidal Material Onboard The International Space Station

by Keith CowingFebruary 3, 2026February 3, 2026

Expanding human space exploration necessitates technologies for sustainable local resource acquisition, to overcome unviable resupply missions. Asteroids, some of which rich in metals like platinum group elements, are promising targets.

Astrogeology, Astropharmacy / Biotechnology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Comets and Asteroids, Commercial & Private Sector, Meteorites & Asteroids, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Space Life Science, Space Stations, Status Report

Testing Microbial Biomining From Asteroidal Material Onboard The International Space Station

by Keith CowingJanuary 22, 2024February 14, 2026

Expanding human space exploration beyond Earth’s orbit necessitates efficient technologies for self-sustainable acquisition of local resources to overcome unviable resupply missions from Earth. Potential source of materials are asteroids, some […]

Preflight fluorescence microscopy image of microbial biofilm, Sphingomonas desiccabilis, growing on a slide of basalt rock as part of the Biorock experiment. Organisms are stained with a DNA binding dye. Credits: NASA

Astropharmacy / Biotechnology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Commercial & Private Sector, Microbiology & Virology, Microgravity, Press Release, Space Life Science, Space Stations

Biomining Vanadium Aboard The International Space Station

by Keith CowingSeptember 2, 2021February 3, 2026

For centuries, humans have mined materials to build the tools we use every day, from batteries and cell phones to airplanes and refrigerators. While the process of obtaining these important […]

BioAsteroid -- NASA

Astropharmacy / Biotechnology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Comets and Asteroids, Commercial & Private Sector, Microbiology & Virology, Microgravity, Missions & Hardware, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Press Release, Space Life Science, Space Stations

BioAsteroid Payload On Orbit

by Keith CowingJanuary 15, 2021February 3, 2026

Inside one of the containers of this 40-cm-across miniature laboratory in orbit, a battle is set to start between asteroid-like fragments and rock-hungry microbes, to probe their use for space […]

A preflight view of BioAsteroid Experiment Unit where the BioAsteroid investigation is performed integrated into the Experiment Container for the BioAsteroid investigation. Each Experiment Unit has two culture chambers. Credits: ESA

Astropharmacy / Biotechnology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Comets and Asteroids, Commercial & Private Sector, Meteorites & Asteroids, Microbiology & Virology, Microgravity, Missions & Hardware, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Press Release, Space Life Science, Space Stations

Microbes To Demonstrate Biomining Of Asteroid Material Aboard The Space Station

by Keith CowingDecember 3, 2020February 3, 2026

As humanity moves closer to the possibility of living and working millions of miles from Earth on planets like Mars, scientists are looking beyond our planet at how to acquire […]