News
Frontier Space achieves major orbital milestone with first in-orbit biotech mission
Frontier Space, an incubatee of the European Space Agency Business Incubation Centre United Kingdom (ESA BIC UK) at Space Park Leicester, has successfully completed its first orbital mission, marking a significant step forward in space-based biomanufacturing and scientific research.
The mission, launched on 21 April 2025 in partnership with ATMOS Space Cargo on board SpaceX’s Bandwagon-3, validated Frontier’s SpaceLab Mark 1 platform, consisting of a miniature self-contained space laboratory designed to conduct cutting-edge microgravity research.
The successful in-orbit demonstration confirms the readiness of core systems, including power, computing, imaging, and communications, paving the way for scalable, space-enabled drug discovery and life sciences innovation.
Among the key outcomes was a collaborative experiment with Imperial College London to assess the performance of freeze-dried biological samples in Low Earth Orbit, a foundational step toward scalable pharmaceutical research in space. The mission also tested an in-house microfluidics platform, which is used in cell culture experiments, with promising ground and partial flight data supporting further development.
“Our journey with ESA BIC UK has been nothing short of transformative. From day one, the team has supported us across every stage, be it business mentoring, technical guidance, IP protection, or connecting us with investors and key stakeholders. Their hands-on involvement, from reviewing our proposals to arranging sales workshops, has strengthened both our product and our confidence. A special thanks to Vinay Patel at Space Park Leicester, whose constant support and responsiveness made a real difference. ESA BIC UK isn’t just an incubator; it’s a true partner that has helped us evolve not just as a company but as innovators ready to make a difference.”
Anjali Sanjay, Business Development & Communications Manager at Frontier Space
Frontier Space’s milestone mission is not only a technical triumph, but also a signal of what’s to come. With its SpaceLab platform, the team aims to unlock affordable, modular infrastructure for scientific and commercial activity in orbit, including pharmaceuticals, sustainable food production, and more. The next missions will focus on sample return capabilities, advanced data handling, and payload scaling.
“Frontier Space’s successful orbital mission is an outstanding achievement and a testament to the kind of bold, innovative science being developed here in Leicester. We’re proud to support pioneering companies like Frontier that are shaping the future of space-enabled science and industry.”
Vinay Patel, Head of Commercial & Innovation Space Park Leicester
