Lab-on-chip platform as a nanosatellite payload solution for biomedical experiments in outer space

Abstract

Growing interest in outer space exploration with the use of small scale (1-10 kg), so called, CubeSat nanosatellites can be recently observed. Special attention is paid here mainly to the investigation of widely understandable life development in diverse and harsh space environments [1] –[3]. Application of a miniature lab-on-chip (LOC) instrumentation in this regard appears to be reasonable solution to conduct different and relatively inexpensive biomedical tests in microgravity. As a response, this work presents a multi-functional and full-featured LOC platform ready for the integration with the dedicated nanosatellite system.