– PRESS RELEASE –
Luxembourg – April 8, 2025 – Exobiosphere, the world’s first contract research organization dedicated to high-throughput drug discovery in space, today announced its participation in Vast’s Haven-1 Lab as an official payload partner. Joining Japan Manned Space Systems Corporation (JAMSS) and Interstellar Lab, Exobiosphere will install its Orbital High-Throughput Screening Device (OHTS) aboard Haven-1, the world’s first commercial crewed space station. This historic collaboration marks a pivotal step in unlocking microgravity’s potential to speed up drug development, reduce late-stage R&D failures, and transform how breakthroughs in medicine and healthcare are achieved on Earth and beyond.
Through this partnership, Exobiosphere’s OHTS will conduct automated cell culture experiments in microgravity that can accelerate cell growth and uncover cellular behaviors not observable under Earth’s gravity. Results from these experiments will provide pharmaceutical, biotech, and healthcare partners with data-driven insights to develop safer, more effective therapeutics.
“Vast’s Haven-1 Lab offers a state-of-the-art research environment to integrate our high-throughput screening platform,” said Kyle Acierno, CEO of Exobiosphere. “Microgravity provides a powerful vantage point for investigating disease at the cellular level. By installing OHTS on Haven-1, we aim to dramatically speed up the discovery of new drug candidates and reshape how we approach healthcare on Earth and in space.”
“We’re excited to welcome Exobiosphere aboard Haven-1 as we prepare to make history with the world’s first crewed commercial lab in space,” said Max Haot, CEO of VAST. “This collaboration not only demonstrates the global value of microgravity research and Haven-1’s role in driving cross-border innovation and discovery, but it signals an unprecedented opportunity for us to show that space is the key to acceleration, safety, and efficiency in life-changing and life-saving drug development.”
The Haven-1 Lab is on track for deployment in May 2026 and is already nearing full capacity. Exobiosphere joins other leading research partners in harnessing the commercial low-Earth orbit ecosystem to pursue international collaboration, groundbreaking scientific insights, and commercial advancements that will benefit life on our home planet as well as future spacefarers.
About Exobiosphere
Exobiosphere is the world’s first contract research organization dedicated to high-throughput testing and drug discovery in space. By combining space-grade lab automation, microgravity research, and advanced analytics, the company helps pharmaceutical, biotech, and healthcare partners enhance scientific discovery and accelerate product development. Its Orbital High-Throughput Screening Device (OHTS) is designed to uncover novel cellular and disease behaviors in a microgravity environment—insights that are difficult or impossible to replicate on Earth. Headquartered in Luxembourg at the House of BioHealth, Exobiosphere’s mission is to shorten R&D timelines and bring safer, more effective treatments to market for patients worldwide.