Company Develops Technology To Enable Microgravity-Based Life Sciences Research

The Bionetics Corporation, a diversified engineering and applied sciences company, is set to become the newest tenant of the Space Life Sciences Laboratory (SLSL) at the Kennedy Space Center, according to Space Florida, the state’s aerospace development organization and spaceport authority.

Bionetics, headquartered in Yorktown, VA, enhances spaceflight systems through the development of unique LED lighting and enables microgravity-based life sciences research. The newest SLSL location is the sixth of its Florida sites.

Space Florida coordinated the two-year lease agreement with Bionetics to occupy lab and administrative space at the SLSL, which will create eight new jobs. At the SLSL location, Bionetics will design, test and manufacture Solid State Lighting Assemblies (SSLAs), the first LED-driven lighting systems designed and built to meet the rigorous requirements of the International Space Station (ISS). These SSLAs provide a controllable light spectrum designed to assist flight crews with circadian alignment, resulting in improved crew health and long-duration spaceflight adaptation.

“Bionetics is one more tenant leveraging the unique capabilities of the SLSL to benefit the ISS program,” said Space Florida President Frank DiBello. “We are thrilled that Bionetics will be able to benefit from the facility.”

“The SLSL not only provides space that is ideal for the development and test of these unique lighting fixtures, but it also provides us with the opportunity to collaborate more closely with others involved in the development of similar technologies for spaceflight,” said Bill Wells, Bionetics SSLA Project Manager.
Other high-tech companies that are currently utilizing the SLSL include Innovative Health Applications, LLC (IHA), Molecular Power Systems, and Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS).

FMI: www.spaceflorida.com