The BioSentinel Mission: Studying Life in Deep Space
The BioSentinel satellite will ride with the Orion spacecraft as part of the Artemis I program, a mission intended to pave humanity’s path back to the Moon and eventually toward Mars. It will conduct the first long-term biological experiment in deep space, a milestone highlighted by NASA.
Inside BioSentinel, yeast cells will serve as the primary biological payload. Since yeast shares many cellular processes with humans, scientists will use this living material to observe how space radiation influences basic cellular biology in a lunar environment. The study aims to reveal how radiation impacts yeast vitality, physiology, and metabolism, offering clues about how human cells might respond to extended exposure in space.
The core objective of BioSentinel is to monitor real-time vital signs of yeast to understand their responses to deep-space radiation. Researchers will focus on growth patterns and metabolic activity, tracking changes that may indicate how eukaryotic cells cope with cosmic energy and charged particles.
Future plans include sending additional biological packages, such as algae, plants, and fungi, to study a wider array of life forms in orbit. Orion will cross the Van Allen radiation belts, regions where solar wind and planetary magnetic fields shape charged particle environments. In these belts, protons and electrons with significant energy levels are common, creating a challenging radiation profile for any onboard biology.
Thanks to the exposure to the Van Allen belts, the organic cargo aboard BioSentinel will experience the fullest spectrum of cosmic radiation available in near-Earth space. After Orion returns, scientists will conduct a thorough analysis of all biological samples to map the effects of deep-space radiation on living systems. This research helps inform future missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond, contributing to our broader understanding of life in harsh space environments.