The agreement will see Voyager Technologies Europe oversee mission integration and operational support for Exobiosphere’s Orbital High-Throughput Screener (OHTS), a compact experimental platform designed to conduct large-scale pharmaceutical and biotechnology research in microgravity.
The companies said the deal represents a significant step towards making advanced orbital drug discovery and biological experimentation more commercially viable for research institutions, government agencies, and private-sector biotech and pharmaceutical partners.
Voyager president of space, defence and national security Matt Magaña said the partnership demonstrated the growing demand for streamlined access to space-based research infrastructure.
“Our mission management services exist to build a clear pathway for innovative ideas to become reality in space,” Magaña said.
“Facilitating access to the ISS is critical to improving life here on Earth, and we’ve developed a proven capability to support those missions.”
Under the contract, Voyager Technologies Europe will provide end-to-end project management for the OHTS payload, including safety certification processes aligned with NASA review standards, integration aboard the ISS, and coordination of on-orbit operations once the platform is installed.
Exobiosphere CEO Kyle Acierno said customers across the biotechnology and research sectors were increasingly seeking more frequent and scalable access to automated orbital research systems.
“Our partners have consistently told us they need higher-throughput automated systems, greater accessibility and faster operational cadence,” Acierno said.
“By having permanent hardware aboard the station, we can provide continuous services and establish the operational track record needed to support pharmaceutical and biotech activity at scale.”
A key feature of the OHTS platform is its modular architecture, allowing researchers to swap out samples and consumable materials between missions without needing to launch entirely new hardware each time.
The system is designed to support ongoing research campaigns and continuous experimentation, potentially reducing both costs and logistical barriers for commercial life sciences programs operating in orbit.
According to Exobiosphere co-founder and engineering director Olivia Borgue, the OHTS payload is capable of processing more than 2,000 simultaneous drug-screening samples during a single mission.
The platform also incorporates integrated brightfield and fluorescence microscopy, luminescence analysis and fully autonomous media and reagent exchange systems.
“OHTS is the first payload of its kind capable of running over 2,000 simultaneous drug screening samples in one mission,” Borgue said.
“Having Voyager’s expertise in ISS integration and mission management allows us to focus entirely on advancing the science and delivering value to our clients.”
The agreement further strengthens Voyager’s position in the rapidly expanding commercial low-Earth orbit sector, where private companies are increasingly seeking to capitalise on demand for orbital manufacturing, biotechnology and research services.
Voyager Technologies Europe managing director Mattia Pianorsi said the company was focused on supporting Europe’s growing ambitions in commercial space operations while also preparing for the next generation of privately operated orbital stations.
“Voyager Technologies Europe is committed to supporting Europe’s expanding ambitions in low-Earth orbit,” Pianorsi said.
“By leveraging International Space Station capabilities today while preparing for future commercial stations such as Starlab, we’re helping transform advanced concepts into operational missions.”
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