On 28th May, SSC Space launched SubOrbital Express-5 from Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden. The mission gave access to space for twelve advanced scientific projects from organizations in nine countries, allowing researchers to study physical, biological, and medical processes under conditions not possible on Earth.
The payload includes four scientific experiment modules. The three primary modules focus on metals science, fluids used in medicine, and how human bloodstream behaves, offering biology-related insights. A fourth rideshare module carries nine additional projects into space. This shared section will enable research into areas such as human immune cells, stem cells, and the solidification of metal alloys, among other topics.
“We are all very excited about this upcoming launch. On countless occasions, we have seen that a few minutes of microgravity in space can make a huge difference in taking a research project to the next level. The SubOrbital Express program really is one of the leading services in the world to provide scientists with invaluable access to space for their science projects,” says Stefan Krämer, Program Manager SubOrbital Express, SSC Space.
SubOrbital Express-5 marks the seventeenth MASER rocket launched from Esrange since the flagship program began in 1987. MASER stands for “Materials Science Experiment Rocket.” The European Space Agency, ESA, remains the program’s largest customer, funding several experiments on board.
