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LEXINGTON, Ky. (August 19, 2025) — Space Tango is proud to announce the triumphant return and deintegration of a microbiology investigation developed in partnership with Israel’s Sheba Medical Center/ARC Space Lab, following its time aboard the International Space Station (“ISS”) on NASA’s 11th crewed mission with SpaceX (“Crew-11”).
Led by Dr. Ohad Gal-Mor, the investigation explored how the space environment affects bacteria commonly responsible for illnesses such as food poisoning and gastrointestinal infections. By studying how these bacteria grow, adapt, and express genes in microgravity, the research aims to improve astronaut health during long-duration missions and inform new approaches to managing infectious diseases here on Earth.
“This mission highlights the power of global collaboration in advancing the effect of microgravity on different organisms,” said Twyman Clements, President and Co-Founder of Space Tango. “Working with Sheba Medical Center/ARC Space Lab, one of the world’s leading medical centers, reflects our shared commitment to pushing the boundaries of research that benefits both space exploration and life on Earth.”
The investigation was housed in a fully automated CubeLab developed by Space Tango, which provided controlled, autonomous operations aboard the ISS. The system enabled precise bacterial growth and data collection in orbit, allowing for direct comparison with ground-based samples.
Now back on Earth, the samples have been returned to Space Tango headquarters and are being transferred to Sheba Medical Center/ARC Space Lab for detailed post-flight analysis. The next phase of the study will help reveal how exposure to microgravity influences bacterial behavior, including changes in virulence and resistance, and what these findings might mean for public health and long-term spaceflight.
“We are very excited to continue this unique biomedical experiment with Space Tango,” said Dr. Ohad Gal-Mor, Principal Investigator at Sheba Medical Center. “After three years of preparation, seeing the investigation successfully launched and now returned to Earth is a major milestone. The Sheba Medical Center and ARC Space Lab value this partnership with Space Tango, and we look forward to the crucial next steps of analysis and discovery because for us, the sky is not the limit.”
To learn more about Dr. Ohad’s CubeLab investigation, read Space Tango’s official Crew-11 Mission Status Blog to learn more: https://spacetango.com/latest/mission-update-sheba-medical-center/.