A new South Australian research project will send living cancer cells into space aboard a suborbital rocket later this year, in a first‑of‑its‑kind experiment aimed at uncovering how aggressive cancers survive under extreme conditions.
The project, delivered through a partnership between Cambrian Defence & Space, Blue Dwarf Space and Adelaide University’s Centre for Cancer Biology, will study how cancer cells behave in microgravity during a 5-10 minute research mission.
The rocket, to be launched from Sweden later this year under an agreement with SSC Space, will carry cancer cell samples prepared by the Adelaide research team.
Dr Nirmal Robinson, who leads research at the Centre for Cancer Biology, hopes microgravity will expose biological behaviours that cannot be observed in labs on Earth.
“Cancer cells live under enormous stress,” Dr Robinson said. “In a tumour, cells are competing for nutrients and oxygen, and many die in that environment. Yet a small number of cells adapt and survive. Those are the cells that can become aggressive, spread through the body and resist treatment.”
Dr Robinson’s lab investigates how cancer cells respond to extreme stress and why some develop the ability to survive chemotherapy or metastasise.
Microgravity provides a unique opportunity to study these processes, as cells float freely and form three‑dimensional structures rather than settling into flat layers, as they do under Earth’s gravity.
“When gravity is removed, cells no longer experience sedimentation and many of the mechanical forces present on Earth,” Dr Robinson said. “That means they often grow differently – sometimes forming structures that look more like real tumours or tissues. It gives us a clearer window into how these cells behave.”
The experiment will focus on highly adaptable cancer cells known for driving tumour initiation and progression. These cells can divide indefinitely, generate multiple cell types and rapidly change their behaviour, sitting at a critical transition point between normal function and aggressive cancer development.
After exposure to microgravity, the samples will be recovered, frozen and returned to Adelaide for analysis. Scientists will examine changes in gene activity, protein expression and stress responses triggered by the spaceflight.
Dr Robinson said the mission is not only intended to advance cancer research but also to build a pathway for more Australian biomedical experiments in space.
Cambrian Defence & Space CEO Tiffany Sharp said the project aims to create new opportunities for researchers and industry. “The grant team’s aim is not only to advance cancer research, but also to create opportunities for other scientists and industries to use space as a laboratory.”
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photo caption: Project team Tiffany Sharp (Cambrian Defence & Space), Kelly Yeoh (Blue Dwarf), John Godwin (Cambrian Defence & Space), Dr Nirmal Robinson (Adelaide University), Chelsea Sharp (Cambrian Defence & Space).
