Recently, SAB Aerospace s.r.o. was awarded an ESA contract for preliminary development of an In-Orbit Servicing LABoratory – IOSLAB. The IOSLAB will be a versatile module for execution of different pressurized and unpressurized experiments in the space environment and will be fully compatible with the new European unmanned reusable space transportation system SpaceRider.
The IOSLAB project is being developed in SAB´s Brno (Czech Republic) premises and its Italian sister company @SAB Launch Services, the Launch and In-Orbit Hub is enlarging its portfolio to include microgravity services, by cooperating with ESA to prepare the aggregate for the Space Rider Maiden Flight planned for 2024. Both companies leverage on the synergies of their combined legacies – biological experiments modules for the ISS and launch & in-orbit services – to offer a competitive and innovative service in microgravity.
In the current phase, SAB designs the IOSLAB for three different experiments: A micro-bioreactor for algae cultivation in microgravity environment and under radiation exposure, nanobots experiment in the space environment, and testing of a spectral camera for meteor detection in a radiation environment. All the experiment’s results will be used for further biological, medical, food, and technological research and their application in the space environment.
The list of the IOSLAB cooperating parties includes the Mendel University, the Technical University of Brno and the Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC), as well as several Czech technological SMEs and hardware manufacturers.
