Watch: Historic SpaceX Rocket Launches With Two Maltese Biotech Experiments
Two Maltese experiments have been launched up to space on a SPACEX rocket as part of the world’s first human spaceflight over the Earth’s polar regions called Fram2.
THAL and MELITE are two biotech experiments being conducted by a group of five Maltese scientists and in collaboration with major entities in the field of health and space.
The rocket was launched yesterday and will orbit space for five days, once it comes back the Maltese scientists will test the four astronauts’ blood for THAL as well as microbiome samples sent on the rocket.
These two projects, led by SPACEOMIX and the University of Malta, will explore the impact that space conditions have on human health and the results could be globally historic.
In the United States watching this incredible moment were two scientists and one Bachelor’s of Science student sent by SPACEOMIX co-director Joseph Borg. Josef Borg, Maria Vella and Aidan Borg travelled to the US to conduct the final stages of the experiments pre-launch and they got to see the rocket blast up to space.
The three scientists also got tour of the NASA complex and launch pads at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center including a close up view of the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, sitting atop a Falcon 9 at Launch Complex 39-Pad A.
Projects THAL and MELITE
THAL will be testing astronauts’ blood as part of a potential breakthrough in the treatment of a blood disorder called Thalassaemia.
Meanwhile, MELITE connects closely with the team’s first project in space, MALETH, which sent microbiome of diabetic foot ulcers to space, examining them before and after for research on the treatment of these ulcers. Project Maleth sparked the interest of Saudi Arabian company Falak for Space Science and Research which asked to collaborate with Borg’s and Gordon Grech’s SPACEOMIX.
MELITE is the pilot project of this collaboration, sending four Saudi Arabian microbiome samples to space. The findings are expected to pave the way for significant implications for long-duration space travel and potential applications in improving health outcomes on Earth.
Read Lovin Malta’s interview with Professor Joseph Borg on the newsroom’s website
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