Antarctic Microbes to Spend Six Months Exposed to Space on ISS
An ISS National Laboratory-sponsored project will send six extremophile microbes from Antarctica and Chile to the space station for about six months of exposure. Researchers will analyze genetic, structural, and protein-level changes after return to Earth.
An international team is sending microbes from Antarctica and Chile to the International Space Station to study how they withstand radiation and other spaceflight stressors. The ISS National Laboratory-sponsored investigation will leverage the MISSE Flight Facility, a permanent platform mounted externally on the space station, to expose the organisms to space for approximately six months.
The Polar Organisms Launched for Astrobiology Research in Ionizing Space (POLARIS) project will study six extremophiles, microorganisms naturally equipped to endure some of Earth’s most unforgiving environments. Funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the project brings together the Department of Defense Space Test Program, the U.S. Air Force Academy, Aegis Aerospace, Radix‑Lucis, and Biociencia Fundación Científica y Cultural, in collaboration with the U.S. Embassy in Chile and AFOSR’s Southern Office of Aerospace Research and Development.
Previous ISS National Lab-sponsored research has shown that spaceflight alters how microbes grow and function. Building on this work, POLARIS will expose three types of bacteria and three types of archaea, a group of single-celled organisms distinct from bacteria and known for thriving in harsh environments. After the organisms return to Earth, researchers will analyze them for genetic, structural, and protein-level changes.
By comparing space-exposed microbes with Earth-based controls, researchers aim to identify biological traits linked to radiation resistance and survival under stress. These insights could help scientists develop more resilient biological systems for space while advancing applications in pharmaceuticals, materials science, and other industries on Earth.
The research is scheduled to launch no sooner than May 13, 2026, on NASA’s SpaceX Commercial Resupply Services 34 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The mission will carry more than 25 ISS National Lab-sponsored investigations to the space station.