Tiny worms to blast off to space station in Exeter-led experiment

A crew of microscopic worms developed by University of Exeter scientists is set to launch to the International Space Station on Friday, in an experiment that could help protect astronauts on future missions to the Moon.

The launch, originally scheduled for Tuesday, was delayed due to forecasted bad weather at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, with lift-off now targeted for no earlier than 8.03am local time on Friday 10 April.

The experiment is led by the University of Exeter, with the hardware engineered and built by the University of Leicester, and funded by the UK Space Agency.

Scientists plan to study how dozens of C. elegans nematode worms, just 1mm long and widely used in laboratory research on Earth, respond to the harsh conditions of space, including microgravity and radiation exposure.

The self-contained laboratory, known as the Fluorescent Deep Space Petri-Pod, measures roughly the size of a large shoebox and weighs around 3kg. It will initially be kept inside the space station before being deployed outside for up to 15 weeks, exposing the worms to the vacuum of space.

Researchers will monitor the worms remotely from Earth using miniature cameras and fluorescent imaging.

Dr Tim Etheridge, from the University of Exeter, said the research was directly relevant to NASA's Artemis programme, which recently sent four astronauts on a journey around the Moon.

"To do that safely, we need to understand how the body responds to the extreme conditions of deep space," he said. "By studying how these worms survive and adapt in space, we can begin to identify the biological mechanisms that will ultimately help protect astronauts during long-duration missions."

Space Minister Liz Lloyd said the mission showed the ambition of British space science.

"It might sound surprising, but these tiny worms could play a big role in the future of human spaceflight," she said.

Professor Mark Sims, project manager at the University of Leicester, said the team was looking forward to receiving the first images back from orbit.

"We hope this will contribute to our understanding of the microgravity environment," he said.