Space Mission Launches that will Carry Experiment Aimed at Solving Antibiotic Resistance

Israel's Sheba Medical Center, Tel HaShomer will make history on June 18 as one of the world's first hospitals to launch a bio-medical experiment in space. To help solve the worsening global problem of bacterial resistance to antibiotics, on this space mission Sheba will test its theory that microgravity in space affects antibiotic resistance acquisition by bacteria. The success of this experiment will help to understand the risks of infectious diseases in humans traveling to space and has the potential to find new approaches to fight the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance infections, which are responsible for the death of 700,000 people annually worldwide. The imminent need for an effective solution was made clear in a 2019 United Nations report estimating that globally, 10 million people may lose their lives by 2050 due to infections resistant to antibiotics. Moreover, the reported overuse of antibiotics during the COVID-19 pandemic has further contributed to the mounting resistance to antibiotics on a global scale. This resistance is expected to pose a more daunting threat in the long-run than the coronavirus itself. The future of the pharmaceutical industry could also rest on the success of Sheba's space experiment. This multi-billion-dollar industry is not sustainable long-term if the antibiotics it generates are no longer effective. On June 18 at 9:51PM EST, Arianespace will launch the Flight VV16 mission with Vega launcher's "ride-share" configuration, the Small Spacecraft Mission Service (SSMS) from the Spaceport in French Guiana. The mission will include 53 micro- and nanosatellites for 21 customers spanning Earth observation, telecommunications, science, technology and education.

Sheba's experiment, which will follow after the acquisition of resistance by E. coli bacteria, is facilitated through SpacePharma's microsatellite lab in conjunction with the European Space Agency, Israel Space Agency and Italian Space Agency. Underwriting is provided by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Israel's Ministry of Science and Technology.

According to Prof. Ohad Gal-Mor, Head of the Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory at Sheba Medical Center, Tel HaShomer, data suggest that there is a significant overuse and misuse of antibiotics clinically, and even more so in agriculture. A major concern is the lack of regulation on veterinary and agricultural use of antibiotics. While the problem is more severe in developing countries, it also impacts developed countries.

It is precisely these problems that are the driving force behind Sheba Medical Center's innovative quest to outer space in search of innovative solutions.

"At Sheba Medical Center, we already have preliminary data suggesting that microgravity significantly affects antibiotic resistance acquisition from experiments we performed on the ground using a special device that mimics microgravity conditions to some extent," stated Prof. Gal-Mor.

"Now we are able to repeat these results under 'real' microgravity conditions and see how the conditions in space change this important and universal process. If we understand why microgravity inhibits conjugation, we hope to be able to develop new approaches to prevent this phenomenon in the hospital clinic and beyond."

"From our research, we understand that the most efficient mechanisms of antibiotic resistance acquisition in bacteria are horizontal gene transfer by means of conjugation, i.e. the transfer of resistance plasmids DNA between bacteria (also known as 'bacterial sex')," continued Prof. Gal-Mor.

"In our lab, we aim to understand and identify environmental, physiological and chemical signals controlling this process. In addition to the preliminary data showing that microgravity inhibits this process, we isolated a natural compound, found in the digestive system that also inhibits conjugation. Understanding how microgravity and other environmental conditions affect conjugation will go a long way toward helping us develop new treatments and approaches to reduce antibiotic resistance acquisition by bacteria."

The results of this experiment are not far off. Data will flow during the few weeks-long mission-analysis and conclusions are expected within one to two months. This project is done in collaboration with Prof. Raffaele Zarrilli and the graduate student Eliana Pia Esposito from the University "Federico II" of Napoli and Bar Piscon and Prof. Galia Rahav from the Sheba group.

3D-printed thrust chamber passes first tests for Vega evolutions

The 3D-printed thrust chamber assembly of the methane-fuelled M10 rocket engine has passed its first series of hot firing tests. The M10 engine will power the upper stage of future Vega evolutions from 2025. "These test results are encouraging, confirming that our propulsion teams are right on track along the development path identified for such novel technology for Vega evolutions," commented Giorgio Tumino, managing ESA's Vega and Space Rider development programmes. M10 will improve propulsion efficiency and environmental sustainability by reducing emissions and combustion waste thereby increasing the competitiveness of European small launchers and lowering their cost. The M10 is restartable and uses a system of smart pressure control. This improves fuel management and offers mission flexibility. Avio in Italy built this TCA in two parts via additive layer-by-layer manufacturing (ALM) using metal alloys, then welded the two parts together. ALM enables more complex internal geometries to be built in fewer parts with a reduced need for additional machining, which benefits cryogenic technology, speeds up production time and cuts costs. M10 is a 10 t-class liquid oxygen-methane expander cycle engine, intended to replace the second and third stages (Zefiro 9 solid-propellant motor and AVUM upper stage) of the current Vega configuration.

ALM with metal alloys has become more reliable and of better quality but product inspection is challenging. Non-destructive inspection (NDI) such as tomography and ultrasound is used to detect defects, geometry distortions and potential obstructions within cooling channels.

Subscale models demonstrated in 2018 that ALM produces thrust chambers that are comparable to those built in the traditional way and that NDI was successful in detecting defects during manufacturing. This opened the way for the development of the full-scale ALM thrust chamber.

During this test campaign, the TCA was fired 19 times for a total of 450 seconds at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in the USA.

By comparing this data with the results from previous models, engineers will better understand the engine behaviour and performances in the up-scaled model. This will help to optimise the configuration of the first M10 development model.

The hot firing of the first development model of the M10 engine will be carried out at the end of the year. Ground qualification is foreseen for 2024 followed by its use in future Vega launch vehicles by 2025.

"These tests prove new technologies and methods that will keep Europe competitive in the launch services market into the future," added Stefano Bianchi, Head of the Space Transportation developments at ESA.