NASA Prepares SpaceX CRS-35 Mission to Launch Human Health and Plant Experiments to Space Station

NASA is preparing to send human health, plant, and bacterial experiments to the International Space Station on SpaceX’s 35th commercial resupply mission from Florida. The research aims to support astronaut well-being during long-duration spaceflights while advancing discoveries that benefit life on Earth. The cargo includes four main investigations from the agency’s Biological and Physical Sciences division.

Researchers will send lab-grown 3D models of the human brain to study cellular changes during a five-week stay. Another experiment will test how a disease-causing fungus affects plants in microgravity. A third project will evaluate a compact microplate reader to quickly detect biological markers like proteins and antibodies directly in space, avoiding the need to return samples to Earth.

Finally, a fourth investigation will monitor antibiotic-resistant bacteria across station surfaces. This work matters because long-term space exploration requires protecting astronaut health and growing reliable food in remote environments. Space crops provide nutrition, recycle water, produce oxygen, and absorb carbon dioxide. Meanwhile, understanding how bacteria survive in microgravity and how brain tissue reacts to space stress helps safeguard crews on future missions to the Moon and beyond.

The findings also offer direct benefits on Earth.

Plant disease studies could improve crop breeding to reduce agricultural