European science takes express ride into space

The rocket reached an altitude of 256 km before falling back to Earth and providing approximately six minutes of microgravity to six scientific experiments onboard.

After a night full of suspense due to challenging weather conditions, three ESA experiments soared to new heights in one of the most anticipated rocket launches of the year from Esrange, owned and operated by the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC). 

The ESA experiments ranged from studies on the human immune system, technology to build more efficient solar cells and bouncing hexapods to understand the formation of the Universe.

Shared-ride access to microgravity

All systems performed well during the flight and the valuable payloads were recovered by helicopter soon after landing. Flight samples of the experiments will now be returned for further analysis to science teams from Sweden, Germany and Finland, after more than two years of preparations.

“Sounding rockets bridge the gap between laboratory research and the complexities of orbital missions, enabling us to test new technologies, gather critical data, and inspire innovative solutions. Esrange has a huge potential for future exploration activities,” said Daniel Neuenschwander, ESA’s Director of Human and Robotic Exploration during his visit to Esrange last week.

“Sometimes, a few minutes of microgravity is just what a research project needs to reach the next level, often resulting in great discoveries for humanity,” says Krister Sjölander, Head of Payloads and Flight Systems at SSC. 

Krister recalled that the previous SubOrbital Express flight carried an experiment on stem and beta cells in the fight against diabetes. This research made it to the International Space Station during the Muninn mission of ESA project astronaut Marcus Wandt, from Sweden.

SubOrbital Express-4 is the sixteenth in a series of MASER rockets launched from Esrange since 1987.

MicACTin and the immune system

MicACTin is a stem cell experiment that investigates how the immune system is affected by microgravity.

The experiment exposed to microgravity 32 containers filled with T cells – the body’s microscopic soldiers that fight infections – while a centrifuge maintained another set of 16 containers under normal gravitational conditions on Earth.

This innovative research run by Karolinska Institutet in Sweden is relevant for astronauts whose immune system is exposed to weightlessness during long space missions. By decoding how microgravity impacts our immune system, scientists hope to develop new treatments that could activate and strengthen immune responses for patients back on Earth.

LiFiCo and solar cells crafting

This physical chemistry experiment investigates how to coat solar cells onto glass for sustainable energy solutions. LiFiCo studies the microstructure produced during liquid coating, and is is run by Karlstad University in Sweden.

During the rocket ride, scientists coated a glass substrate with a special organic solution, capturing the precise moment of microstructure formation.

By observing how these delicate solar cell layers develop in a weightless environment, researchers aim to unlock new techniques for producing solar technologies that could be significantly more efficient.

JACKS and the bouncing hexapods

JACKS is a material science experiment that investigates how granular gases behave in microgravity. In astronomy, understanding the behavior of granular systems sheds light on the formation and dynamics of celestial bodies, such as asteroids, comets and planetary rings.

Scientists recorded the behaviour of bouncing hexapods mimicking complex grain shapes in a confined container to learn from the way these objects evolve and interact, including energy and heat transfer mechanisms, with manifold implications on Earth and in space.

The project is run by the Brandenburg University of Applied Sciences (THB) and Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg (OvGU) in Germany.