Vector Space Biosciences launches student programme for space research with tardigrades and SBIO tokens

Vector Space Biosciences (VSB), a company specialising in space research and biotechnology, has introduced a programme that allows students to participate in space missions using SBIO tokens. 

SBIO tokens are a digital asset that grants holders access to VSB’s real-time data and images from biological satellite (CubeSat) launches. With this programme, students who hold at least one SBIO token can follow the first of several planned launches, which will send Waterbears (Tardigrades) into space for research purposes.

Tardigrades, also known as Waterbears, are microscopic organisms renowned for their ability to survive extreme conditions that would be fatal to most other life forms. VSB focuses on studying how biological organisms, like waterbears, respond to harsh space conditions. Known as extremophiles, Waterbears can survive extreme radiation and enter suspended animation for extended periods.

VSB's goal is to use the data from these experiments to develop countermeasures for diseases caused by stressors during human space exploration. The research could also contribute to the development of new precision medicines on Earth.

Alongside providing educational opportunities for students, VSB offers packages to companies and organisations in the life sciences sector, allowing them to design and launch their own payloads via CubeSats. These missions generate valuable data that is analysed using advanced AI modelling techniques, such as language modelling, to discover links between genes, proteins, and biochemical pathways. The insights gained have the potential to benefit pharmaceutical research and the development of new medical treatments.

VSB’s broader mission is to develop countermeasures to the physical and environmental challenges faced by humans in space, including microgravity and radiation. This data is also being used to explore how radiation affects AI semiconductors used in space-based data centres, contributing to advancements in AI technology.