Baby BOX-E: scaling drug crystallisation in orbit

The mission aims to demonstrate large‑volume drug crystal growth in microgravity, translating long‑established scientific insights and decades of crystallisation research into a scalable, operational manufacturing capability. In the long term, this approach could support more accessible cancer treatments on Earth.

Rethinking drug delivery through crystallisation

Despite major progress in oncology, many effective cancer therapies still rely on hospital‑based intravenous infusions, which can be time‑consuming and disruptive for patients. BioOrbit’s approach focuses on transforming such medicines into precisely engineered crystals that could instead be delivered by simple injection. Achieving this requires crystals with tightly controlled size, purity and uniformity, requirements that are difficult to meet using conventional Earth‑based manufacturing.

Why microgravity matters

On Earth, gravity drives sedimentation and convection during crystallisation, leading to variability and defects. In microgravity, these effects are largely eliminated, allowing crystals to grow in a more controlled environment. This typically produces larger, purer and more uniform crystals, which are essential for consistent dosing in injectable therapies. While the benefits of microgravity crystallisation have been demonstrated in hundreds of experiments, most have remained limited to small‑scale studies.

Introducing Baby BOX‑E

Launching on SpaceX‑34, Baby BOX‑E will conduct the largest drug crystallisation mission in space to date, processing over 150 ml of drug solution, around 100 times the volume of other continuous crystallisation systems previously flown. The payload will be installed on the ICE Cubes Facility (ICF) in the Columbus module, where it will operate autonomously without routine crew involvement, validating both the hardware and the process at a scale relevant for future manufacturing.

Designed to scale

Baby BOX‑E has been developed with scalability at its core. Its modular architecture allows expansion from millilitre‑scale operation to tens of litres with minimal design changes, potentially enabling kilogram‑scale crystal production. Multiple BOX units can be operated in parallel, supporting higher throughput while maintaining control, repeatability and reliability.

The ICE Cubes service has supported the Baby BOX‑E mission through engineering and safety support, security hardening, logistics coordination, and the review of test procedures, as well as by providing access to the ICE Cubes Facility on the ISS. Through the ICF’s near real‑time ground interface, the BioOrbit team will initiate and actively manage the experiment from Earth, monitoring incoming data, images and video and sending commands to the payload, ensuring flexible and efficient execution as results evolve.

Baby BOX‑E was designed, developed and built by BioOrbit with the guidance and support of the ICE Cubes Service. The mission has also been enabled through the support of the UK Space Agency, ESA BIC UK and ESA BSGN, whose contributions have been instrumental in advancing BioOrbit’s vision for space‑enabled pharmaceutical manufacturing. Discover more here.