The space environment can also cause medicine to expire faster than on Earth. The Stability of Drugs experiment will study how much the shelf life of common medications can be extended by storing them in a polymer carrier, similar to a plastic wrapper, during long-duration space missions.

Yeast TardigradeGene will explore whether yeast enhanced with a protein from the ultra-resilient tardigrade can survive harsh space conditions, opening doors to food and fuel production away from home.

These experiments are essential steps toward enabling longer, safer and more sustainable human spaceflight. Many of the discoveries made in orbit could lead to advances in everyday life on Earth.

Stay tuned for more science updates on the Ignis website during the mission.