NASA Astronaut Jessica Watkins Conducted Bioprinting Experiment Inside Kibo Laboratory Module

NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins, Expedition 75 flight engineer, performed an experiment on October 9, 2026, involving the mixing of living cell samples with bioink within the Kibo laboratory module's Life Science Glovebox as part of the InSPA-Auxilium Bioprinter-Cell Printing investigation.

Assembled News DeskOctober 21, 20261 min read

AI illustration based on reference photographs; not an event photograph. A detailed illustration of a Life Science Glovebox containing a cartridge with a cell-ink mixture inside a laboratory module. — AI-generated illustration

According to NASA News Releases, NASA astronaut and Expedition 75 flight engineer Jessica Watkins works inside the Life Science Glovebox located in the Kibo laboratory module on October 9, 2026. During this activity, Watkins safely combined living cell samples with a bioink and then filled a special cartridge with the cell-ink mixture.

These advanced research operations were conducted as part of the InSPA-Auxilium Bioprinter-Cell Printing investigation. This investigation is focused on exploring the possibility of 3D bioprinting cartilage tissue in a microgravity environment, with the goal of achieving a higher quality than what can be produced on Earth.

NASA News Releases indicated that the outcomes of this experiment could potentially improve the capacity to biomanufacture cartilage, which could provide advantages to patients on Earth as well as crew members undertaking extended space missions.

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