Odyssey
News / Updates
Mar 2025 | Mission Support
Odyssey Space is supporting the development of a biological research payload in collaboration with researchers at Winston-Salem State University and international scientific partners investigating plant resilience and molecular responses to the spaceflight environment.
The experiment will assess the early molecular stress response of crop plants to microgravity exposure, focusing on six key genes related to stress response, nutrient transport, and metabolism.
Students will investigate how gravity influences plant growth by looking for changes in gene activity. After the flight, they will use molecular tools to compare gene expression in plants exposed to microgravity to ground controls.
"This mission not only advances scientific discovery but also provides an unparalleled opportunity for our students to engage in real-world space research," said Dr. Rafael Loureiro, associate professor of Botany and Plant Physiology, and founder of the Astrobotany Lab at WSSU. "By participating in this suborbital flight experiment with Aisha, our students gain hands-on experience that will help shape the future of astrobotany, space exploration and sustainable food production beyond Earth."
"This collaboration ensures that HBCU students are not just participants but leaders in space science," said WSSU Chancellor Bonita J. Brown, the first female chancellor in WSSU's history. "Winston-Salem State University is committed to breaking barriers, and this mission is a testament to the critical role that HBCUs play in advancing space research and preparing our students to lead the future of exploration."
The findings from this experiment will contribute to longer-duration spaceflight studies, advancing understanding of how plants adapt to extreme environments, a key factor for future lunar and Martian habitation.
The Blue Origin NS-31 launch, scheduled for this spring, marks a significant milestone for HBCUs, space-based agriculture, and the broader science community. The experiment will fly aboard a suborbital mission conducted by Blue Origin using the Fluid Processing Apparatus platform developed by BioServe Space Technologies. The mission will study how exposure to microgravity and radiation influences gene expression and physiological responses in crop plants relevant to long-duration exploration missions.
The project contributes to broader research efforts focused on space agriculture, biological systems in extreme environments, and the development of sustainable life-support systems for future lunar and deep-space missions.
Odyssey Space designs and delivers spacecraft, payloads, and scientific instruments for civil, commercial, and national security space missions. Programs span mission architecture, instrument development, optical and optomechanical systems, and integration activities supporting spaceflight missions from early concept studies through hardware development and operational performance. Leadership includes former NASA and industry engineers and scientists who have contributed to major observatories, planetary missions, and spaceflight research programs across astrophysics, Earth observation, human spaceflight, and exploration initiatives. Working with government agencies, research institutions, and commercial partners, Odyssey Space supports missions across environments ranging from low Earth orbit to cislunar and deep-space systems.