Successful NG-20 Launch for 3D Cartilage Cultures and Returning Investigators Cedars-Sinai, LambdaVision

Lexington, Ky. (January 30, 2024) – Space Tango, a leader in microgravity data analytics, biotechnology, and manufacturing successfully launched life science investigations on Northrop Grummans’s 20th commercial resupply services (“NG-20”) mission from Cape Canaveral, FL. Space Tango’s research partners Cedars-Sinai, LambdaVision, and the University of Connecticut will conduct investigations in designated CubeLabs on the International Space Station (“ISS”) for an approximate 30-day mission. This is the first use of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to launch a Northrop Grumman Cygnus module, demonstrating interoperability and redundancy for streamlined launch cadence.

“Space Tango’s manifest is replete with an investigation pipeline that will address humanity’s greatest health challenges on Earth and in Space,” said S. Sita Sonty, Space Tango CEO. “This launch is groundbreaking on so many levels; we have returning partners, a new spacecraft-launch vehicle combination, and this is just the first of our scheduled four launches this year.”

Already carrying a catalog of over 260 investigations, Space Tango’s NG-20 payloads will utilize automated, platform-agnostic hardware that permits imaging, microscopy on-orbit, and the return of live science for further analysis.

The University of Connecticut is examining cartilage growth in space to advance the clinical understanding of osteoarthritis. Cedars-Sinai is conducting its third and final investigation to examine the effect of microgravity on induced pluripotent stem cells (“iPSCs”), advancing timelines for gene therapy development. NG-20 is also the 12th mission with LambdaVision to advance protein-based artificial retina manufacturing. This investigation optimizes the only hardware with a 6-year proven flight heritage for thin-film manufacturing.

NG-20 is scheduled to berth with the ISS on February 1, after which payloads will be installed and Space Tango investigators will receive data in real-time. To learn more about these investigations, visit https://spacetango.com/latest/missions/ng-20-payloads/.

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Space Tango is an industry leader in automated systems in the pursuit of health and technology manufacturing in space. Since 2017 Space Tango has provided facilities to support iterative R&D and manufacturing in microgravity environments. Through an integrated and intuitive approach, Space Tango works alongside its diverse partner base to embrace pathways to production. For more information, visit www.spacetango.com.

Media Inquiries Danielle Rosales | press@spacetango.com | (833) 428-2646