Strategic Partnerships

Working with global leaders to advance space science innovation.

Astronaut working with equipment in space station.

Explore imagery and descriptions of missions supported by Rhodium Scientific on the ISS. At any given time on board the space station, a wide array of experiments are underway across multiple disciplines. Search the database using the term “Rhodium Scientific” to learn more about each experiment’s objectives, descriptions, results, and imagery.

LEARN MORE: NASA Experiments Explorer

LEARN MORE: NASA Facility Details

Since 2021, Rhodium Scientific has been a Commercial Service Provider (CSP) and Implementation Partner (IP) for the International Space Station. The ISS is supported by an ever-growing network of organizations actively promoting and sustaining space-based commercial activities. Rhodium Scientific facilitates research projects on the ISS, translating bench science protocols to space-based platforms and providing NASA-certified flight hardware for biomanufacturing, regenerative medicine, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture.

LEARN MORE: ISS National Lab Implementation Partner

International Space Station orbiting above Earth.

DARPA B-Sure Program

DARPA's B-SURE (Biomanufacturing: Survival, Utility, and Reliability Everywhere) program developed autonomous biomanufacturing capabilities for remote and austere environments where traditional infrastructure is unavailable. Rhodium Scientific served as a key performer on the program, successfully executing four space missions that demonstrated on-demand production of critical biological materials to support national security and expeditionary operations.

National Science Foundation (NSF)

Rhodium Scientific collaborates with the NSF to advance space-based biotechnology and support innovative research programs in microgravity.

The Texas Space Commission selected Intuitive Machines, Inc. (Nasdaq: LUNR) and Rhodium Scientific—America’s first space biotech company and a leader in in-space biomanufacturing—for a grant of up to $10 million from the Space Exploration and Research Fund (SEARF). This funding supports the development of an Earth reentry vehicle and an orbital fabrication lab designed for microgravity biomanufacturing. Together, Intuitive Machines and Rhodium Scientific manage payload integration for lunar and low Earth orbit missions, including safe Earth reentry. The 12-month SEARF phase one effort advances spacecraft development through Critical Design Review and the creation of a full-scale ground prototype. This foundational partnership lays the groundwork for future grants and large-scale projects.

LEARN MORE: Intuitive Machines News

Satellite components with a deployed solar panel.

Office of Space Commerce (OSC)

As a partner of the Office of Space Commerce, Rhodium Scientific supports commercial space initiatives and ensures alignment with federal policies for space-based research.

Rhodium Scientific partners with NIST to host reference materials and advance standards-based research in microgravity, enabling reproducible scientific outcomes.

Starlab

Starlab Space is a U.S.-led global joint venture among Voyager Technologies, Airbus, Mitsubishi Corporation, MDA Space, and Palantir Technologies. The company is developing a next-generation, AI-enabled commercial space station in low-Earth orbit, designed to ensure a seamless continuation of microgravity science and research following the planned retirement of the International Space Station. Functioning as an on-orbit science park, Starlab aims to make space-based research and development affordable, reliable, and accessible to a global user base, with a planned launch aboard SpaceX's Starship later this decade.

Learn More: https://starlab-space.com/

U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency

Rhodium completed three OTA contracts for space biotechnology missions for DTRA and provided secure, rapid-turnaround time, and results from on-orbit research and biomanufacturing to support critical national security priorities.

Involve Space

Rhodium has partnered with Involve Space to support the seamless integration of scientific experiments with high-altitude balloon flight systems. Our work focuses on ensuring that research payloads are efficiently designed, tested, and incorporated into flight-ready hardware, enabling reliable data collection in near-space environments. Through this collaboration, we help bridge the gap between experimental science and real-world flight applications, supporting innovative missions at the edge of space.

Sierra Space

Sierra Space and Rhodium Scientific are pioneering new ways to conduct research in space. Sierra Space builds and delivers space transportation, destinations, and infrastructure, offering “space-as-a-service” to support the new space economy. As a subsidiary of Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), Sierra Space provides the Dream Chaser® spaceplane and expandable LIFE™ habitat.

LEARN MORE: Sierra Space Press Release