News Article

Six science projects to space from Sweden

November 14, 2024
Six science projects to space from Sweden

On 22 November, the launch window opens for one of the year’s most anticipated rocket launches at Esrange Space Center in Sweden, owned and operated by Swedish Space Corporation (SSC). After more than two years of planning and preparation, SubOrbital Express-4 will provide access to space for scientists from the U.S, Japan, Germany, Netherlands, Finland and Sweden.  

Onboard are six different scientific projects, including experiments that seek new insights on the human immune system, ways to manufacture more efficient solar cells for greener energy production, and particle research to get answers about the birth of our planet. 

“I am very excited and proud for yet another upcoming launch within our flagship sounding rocket program, SubOrbital Express, one of the leading services in the world to provide scientists invaluable access to space for their science projects. Sometimes, a few minutes in the microgravity of space is just what a research project needs to reach the next level, often resulting in great discoveries for humanity,” says Krister Sjölander, Head of Payloads and Flight Systems in SSC, and continues: 

“For example, when SubOrbital Express-3 was launched two years ago, one of the science projects onboard experimented on stem and beta cells in the fight against diabetes. This experiment was subsequently brought to the International Space Station (ISS) by the Swedish astronaut Marcus Wandt for further experimentation. Fingers crossed for another successful mission this time around for SubOrbital Express-4, with experiments on organic solar cells, immunology and cosmology as examples!” 

SubOrbital Express-4 is the sixteenth in a series of MASER rockets launched from Esrange since this sounding rocket program started in 1987. MASER stands for “Materials Science Experiment Rocket” and the European Space Agency, ESA, is the program’s largest customer, funding several of the experiments on board. 


Contact: 
Philip Ohlsson, Head of PR & Press, +46 70 721 70 26, philip.ohlsson@sscspace.com

GENERAL INFORMATION

Location Esrange Space Center,
Northern Sweden, 67.88°N, 21.07°E
Launch Site The Skylark Tower
Campaign period 13 November - 6 December
Launch period 22 November - 6 December
Rocket type VSB-30 launch vehicle, including a two-stage rocket motor system consisting of S31 and S30 boosters.
Number of experiments 6
Rocket length 12,4 m
Total mass 2 671 kg
Payload mass 409 kg
Apogee 265 km
Campaign partners SSC, DLR MORABA and participating science teams.
Program Manager Stefan Krämer, SSC

The six experiments onboard vary in both size and function:

MicACTin

This life science stem cell experiment will investigate how the immune system is affected by microgravity conditions.

Fully named "T cells in microgravity: High resolution microscopy and deep gene expression profiling to find the T cell gravisensor", this experiment focuses on understanding how microgravity affects T cells, a crucial component of the immune system.

This research is particularly relevant for astronauts who are exposed to weightlessness which may impair their immune function. However, the full understanding of this process will also help scientists to develop tools and treatments to trigger a proper activation of the immune system for anyone.

The experiment system will expose 32 experiment cassettes to microgravity, and another 16 cassettes to 1-g by means of a centrifuge, providing a reference set for comparison.

The project is run by Karolinska Institutet (KI) in Sweden, with funding from European Space Agency (ESA), and the system has been developed by SSC together with Sioux Technologies.

LiFiCo

This physical chemistry experiment will investigate improved solar cell techniques.

Fully named "Liquid film coating and drying under microgravity conditions in systems relevant for organic solar cells", this experiment will investigate the microstructure produced during liquid coating, which is one major contributor for the efficiency of the final product.

A glass substrate will be coated with an organic solution by dipping the substrate into the liquid during microgravity conditions. The outcome of this procedure will provide scientists with valuable insights on how to produce more efficient solar cells.

The project is run by Karlstad University in Sweden, with funding from European Space Agency (ESA), and the system has been developed by SSC.

DUST-II

This experiment will investigate how tiny grains of dust form and grow in space.

Fully named "Determining Unknown yet Significant Traits", this experiment will carry a miniature laboratory into space to simulating how tiny grains of dust form and grow. However, exactly how dust grains form and grow depends on many different factors, thus the experiment is designed to study which factors are most important.

The research could aid understanding of distant astronomical events, including giant stars, newly formed planetary systems, and the atmospheres of planets in alien solar systems around other stars. It might also help scientists here on Earth to gain better control over nanoparticles within various fields of study, including solar energy, chemical catalysis, sensors, and nanomedicine.

The project is run collaboratively by Hokkaido University in Japan and Braunschweig University in Germany, with funding from the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) and the German Space Agency (DLR). The experiment has been development by Hokkaido University, and the avionics system and implementation has been done by SSC.

JACKS

From cosmic nebulae to Saturn's rings, and even dust storms on Earth, granular gases are everywhere. The JACKS experiment, by using bouncing hexapods a confined volume, will investigate how they behave.

Fully named "Granular gases composed of complex particles ", this experiment will explore the behavior of granular gases that have more complex grain shapes that conventionally studied spheres. This area of research holds immense scientific and practical significance, potentially advancing our understanding of physics, engineering, and even space exploration. In a way, it deals with the later stages of dust agglomerations explored in Dust-II.

In astronomy and cosmology, understanding the behavior of granular systems sheds light on the formation and dynamics of celestial bodies, such as asteroids, comets, planetesimals, and planetary rings.

One can learn a lot from the way these objects evolve and interact, such as energy dissipation as well as energy and heat transfer mechanisms, with manifold implications for the design of efficient applications on Earth and in space.

The project is run by the Brandenburg University of Applied Sciences (THB) and Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg (OvGU) in Germany, with funding from the European Space Agency (ESA) and DLR. The system has been developed at OvGU and built by Airbus Defence and Space.

BFS

Fucus vesiculosus, also known as bladderwrack, is a brown perennial macroalgae common both on the tidal coasts of the North Atlantic and in the Baltic Sea, where it has adapted to low salinity and atidal conditions over the last 7000 years. It reproduces by a synchronized release of eggs and sperm into the water, where fertilization takes place.

In the early 1990s it was discovered that the reproductive cycle seems to be connected the full and new moon. While it is easy for the seaweed in the Atlantic Ocean to keep track of the lunar cycles, since they are linked to the tides, it is still a mystery to the scientific community how the bladderwrack in the Baltic Sea synchronizes its reproduction with the lunar cycle, since this sea lacks tides.

Fully named "Baltic Fucus in Space", this microgravity experiment will accommodate Fucus tissue samples in 16 tubes containing brackish water, and maintain them in a controlled day-night light regime. Will this puzzling mystery get dismantled?

The project is run by Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre in Sweden. The system has been developed collaboratively by the University of Gothenburg and the Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre. Analysis of RNA will be performed in collaboration with Helsinki University.

TATTS

This experiment aims to capture a video of the behavior of water in a microgravity environment. The experiment contains video camera and light source, powered by a stand-alone system.

The project is run by Linköping University in Sweden. The system has been developed collaboratively by Linköping University in Sweden and University of Colorado in Colorado Springs, U.S.

Experiments on SubOrbital Express 4

Hear our engineers present the experiments onboard.

Jianning Li

Watch the film

01:36

Learn about the DUST-II carbon dust experiment by Jianning Li, System Engineer.

Christian Lockowandt

Watch the film

01:29

Watch Christian Lockowandt, Project Manager, present the LiFiCo experiment, a research for improving the technique of manufacturing solar cells.

MicACTin

Watch the film

01:35

Learn about MicACTin experiment by Project Manager Alf Vaerneus. The research focuses on understanding how microgravity affects T-cells, which are crucial components of the immune system.

Rocket module

Watch the film

01:03

Get information about the JACKS granular gas experiment, by Andreas Stein, Electrical Engineer at Airbus Defense & Space.

Read more about the SubOrbital Express program on suborbitalexpress.com

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