Original article: U. de Chile empezó a recibir los primeros datos de su misión en la Estación Espacial Internacional The University of Chile has started to receive its initial records from the International Space Station, related to experiments studying technology and biology under microgravity and space radiation conditions. This project, coordinated by the Space and Planetary Exploration Laboratory (SPEL) from the Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (FCFM), marks a groundbreaking achievement for national space science.
The process kicked off on April 4, with the integration of the experiments into the capsule that would transport them into space. Marcos Díaz, the lead researcher for the mission and a faculty member of the Electrical Engineering Department at FCFM, explained that in this phase, the container was tested on a ground simulator provided by the supplier to ensure the hardware functioned correctly. This included verifying appropriate pressure connections and ensuring the system posed no electrical risks to the International Space Station prior to its launch.
Subsequently, on April 11, the much-anticipated launch into space took place. The Cygnus capsule, carrying the Chilean container, successfully separated from its Falcon 9 rocket, marking the beginning of its journey to the ISS. Finally, on April 13, the Cygnus capsule was captured by the International Space Station, where it was received by the astronauts aboard.
«They take the box, check for any significant damage, capture an image to confirm its intact state, and report on the system’s health,» detailed the Chilean researcher. Following this visual inspection, an astronaut proceeded to connect the container to the appropriate module, enabling the system to receive power and communicate with the platform. Thus, it began operating autonomously: «We have already made initial contact with the platform, and it was functioning well.
Everything was okay,» confirmed Professor Marcos Díaz. First Indicators and What’s Next Thanks to this connection, the creation of the first data files and the initiation of some experiments have already been confirmed. Over the next six months, the container will house extremophilic microorganisms, archaea, and graphene samples, in addition to testing processors, light sources, lasers, UV systems, and optical and UV cameras.
The Chilean team will periodically download information and monitor the biological and technological status, comparing the results from space with control samples being analyzed simultaneously in terrestrial laboratories. Among the information received so far are images and videos from the project. The operation of a liquid lens-based microscope, a particle tracking system, microorganisms with multi-camera setups, a gravity variation gyroscope system, a motor, and a biological monitoring system have all been confirmed.
Recent images have also demonstrated the opening of a compartment for assembling synthetic DNA in space, a project that merges bioengineering, art, and ethics, titled The Angel of History. This artistic endeavor is led by Luis Guzmán (Radix-Lucis Studio), who was invited to the Extremophiles-University of Chile mission, and developed in collaboration with international specialists and the SPEL team. For Marcos Díaz, beyond the technical success of these initial days, there is invaluable symbolic value: «It’s important that they recognize the work being done in Chile, that they get to know us and acknowledge that Chile can be relevant in this field.
» This effort also involves participation from the University of Santiago of Chile (Usach), the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso (PUCV), and the Biociencia Foundation.