Starlab Space, a company developing a commercial space station to broaden research opportunities in low Earth orbit, has entered into a new collaboration with Auxilium Biotechnologies, a San Diego medtech startup. The collaboration will support regenerative medicine, implantable devices, and complex tissue engineering workflows while helping translate experimental biology into scalable orbital production.
Orbital Bioprinting for Advanced Medical Applications
Under the agreement, Auxilium will deliver in-orbit 3D bioprinting and biofabrication capabilities aboard the future Starlab platform. These systems are intended to support research, medical device development, and manufacturing processes related to regenerative medicine, implantable technologies, and sophisticated tissue engineering.
Auxilium’s AMP-1 3D bioprinter has previously demonstrated the ability to produce implantable medical devices and intricate structures, including perfusable vascular systems, in microgravity environments on the International Space Station. By integrating this technology into Starlab, the company aims to help move biological discoveries from early experimentation toward scalable manufacturing, positioning AMP-1 as a production platform for emerging life science innovations in orbit.
“3D printing in microgravity enables tissue architectures and material properties not achievable under standard 1g manufacturing,” said Isac Lazarovits, director of engineering at Auxilium. “This biomanufacturing facility on board the future Starlab space station will expand access to low Earth orbit, lower barriers for industry and academia, and enable high-impact research and manufacturing that will benefit Earth.”
Building an Orbital Life Sciences Ecosystem
The collaboration forms part of Starlab’s broader initiative to support life sciences research and biomanufacturing in microgravity. Conditions in orbit can facilitate scientific advances that are difficult to replicate on Earth, such as improved protein crystallization for drug discovery, more realistic 3D cellular models for disease research, and advanced stem cell studies aimed at addressing conditions like Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s.
“This partnership demonstrates Starlab’s commitment to fostering innovation in life sciences,” said Marshall Smith, CEO of Starlab. “By providing companies like Auxilium with the infrastructure to advance biomanufacturing in microgravity, we’re creating pathways for breakthrough therapies that will improve lives on Earth.”
Starlab also emphasizes a market-focused operational model designed to simplify access to orbital research. Its single-launch architecture, requiring no on-orbit assembly aims to enable rapid certification and deployment, helping reduce logistical barriers for commercial and academic partners. In the interim, joint venture collaborations allow customers to conduct research on the International Space Station today, with a planned transition to Starlab as new capabilities become available.
3D Printing as the Key to Bioprinting in Space
Orbital environments, with their microgravity conditions, create opportunities for tissue structures and cellular arrangements impossible under Earth’s gravity. 3D printing provides the mechanism to exploit this environment, enabling the fabrication of delicate architectures such as perfusable blood vessels and implantable devices.
Despite the promise of orbital bioprinting, several constraints remain. Production aboard Starlab will initially be limited in scale, and launch schedules can introduce delays that affect experimental timelines. Regulatory approvals for living tissues and medical devices continue to be a significant bottleneck for translating orbital research into clinical or commercial applications. Technical challenges—such as maintaining cell viability during launch, ensuring reliable printer operation in microgravity, and integrating complex tissue architectures—also pose hurdles.
Besides the Starlab and Auxilium project, BioCabinet, developed at Hallym University, produces living tissue in orbit to study disease responses under microgravity. Researchers at ETH Zurich have 3D printed human muscle tissue during parabolic flight experiments, demonstrating feasibility under short-duration microgravity simulations. In 2025, the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine sent 3D printed liver tissue to the ISS to investigate how zero gravity affects tissue growth and function.
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Featured image shows Auxilium created tiny, functional blood vessels aboard the International Space Station using its AMP-1 platform. Photo via Auxilium Biotechnologies.
