Exobiosphere
Exobiosphere is a Luxembourg-based contract research organization founded in 2024 that operates the Orbital High-Throughput Screener to run automated drug discovery and disease modeling experiments in microgravity for pharmaceutical, biotech, academic and government customers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2024
- HeadquartersEsch-sur-alzette, Luxembourg
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Exobiosphere does
Exobiosphere SARL is a Luxembourg-headquartered biotechnology company founded in 2024 that operates the world's first contract research organization (CRO) dedicated to high-throughput drug discovery in space. The company built and commercializes the Orbital High-Throughput Screener (OHTS), a carry-on suitcase-sized autonomous laboratory that integrates precision nanoliter liquid handling (via an integrated Formulatrix MANTIS dispenser), environmental control, robotic manipulation, and brightfield and fluorescent microscopy to run 2,000+ simultaneous biological experiments per microgravity mission. End-to-end mission services span assay adaptation, hardware qualification, launch integration, automated in-orbit experimentation with real-time data downlink, and post-mission data analysis for pharmaceutical, biotech, academic and government customers.
The business model is project- and mission-based with custom quotes; disclosed revenue streams include contract research services (per-mission CRO fees for pharma/biotech), space mission integration services (end-to-end orbital research as exemplified by the ESA contract), ground-based platform sales (terrestrial OHTS units sold to institutions such as the University of Notre Dame) and emerging data and analytics monetization tied to space-derived biological datasets. Go-to-market is direct enterprise sales augmented by channel partnerships with commercial space station operators (Vast, Voyager Technologies, Space Cargo Unlimited, ElevationSpace), government procurement (ESA, Luxembourg Space Agency, LuxIMPULSE), and accelerator-driven BD (Cedars-Sinai Accelerator+, CASSINI). Customer segments targeted are pharmaceutical and biotech companies, academic and government research institutions (LCSB, LIH, Notre Dame, ESA, NASA-aligned agencies), and advanced healthcare systems such as Cedars-Sinai. Operations span a Luxembourg headquarters in the House of BioHealth incubator and a US regional office in Los Angeles, with first orbital missions planned for 2026-2027 aboard the ISS (via Voyager) and Vast's Haven-1.
Exobiosphere firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Exobiosphere
- Legal name
- Exobiosphere SARL
- Website
- https://exobiosphere.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2024
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Exobiosphere is a Luxembourg-based contract research organization founded in 2024 that operates the Orbital High-Throughput Screener to run automated drug discovery and disease modeling experiments in microgravity for pharmaceutical, biotech, academic and government customers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Exobiosphere industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Contract Research Services (Space Biotechnology)
- NAICS
- Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Preclinical CROs (Discovery/Pharmacology/DMPK) (HLAGAAAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Central Laboratory & Clinical Trial Testing CROs (HLAGAAAE), Clinical CROs (Phase I–IV) (HLAGAAAA)
Keywords
Where Exobiosphere is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Esch-sur-alzette
- HQ country
- Luxembourg
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Exobiosphere business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Contract Research Services: Exobiosphere operates as the world's first contract research organization (CRO) dedicated to drug discovery in space. Revenue is generated through mission management contracts, research service fees, and per-mission pricing for pharmaceutical and biotech partners accessing the OHTS platform for drug screening and disease modeling.
- Space Mission Integration Services: Revenue from providing end-to-end microgravity research services including hardware qualification, mission preparation, execution of automated experiments in orbit, and delivery of scientific data to research teams on Earth. ESA contract covers science selection through mission execution.
- Ground-based Platform Sales: Sale and deployment of terrestrial versions of the automated high-throughput screening system to research institutions (e.g., University of Notre Dame) for biomedical research and ground-based testbed supporting future spaceflight experiments.
- Data and Analytics Services: Generation and sale of space-derived biological data to pharmaceutical and biotech partners for AI-driven drug discovery models, with real-time data transfer capabilities and post-flight molecular and functional analyses.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Mission-based research services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Exobiosphere product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Exobiosphere operates as the world's first contract research organization (CRO) dedicated to drug discovery in space. The company develops and operates the Orbital High-Throughput Screener (OHTS), a compact, autonomous platform that runs 2,000+ simultaneous biological experiments per mission in microgravity. It sells mission-based research services, hardware platforms (orbital and ground-based versions), and derived biological data to pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms, and research institutions for drug screening, disease modeling, and target identification.
Product overview
Exobiosphere operates as a biotechnology company developing autonomous high-throughput screening platforms for life sciences research in microgravity. The company's portfolio centers on the Orbital High-Throughput Screener (OHTS) system—a miniaturized, self-contained automated laboratory platform that enables complex biological experimentation in space environments. The OHTS platform integrates precision liquid handling, environmental control, robotic manipulation, and live imaging to conduct thousands of simultaneous experiments per mission. The company offers end-to-end mission services covering feasibility assessment, assay adaptation, optimization and automation, mission preparation and launch, HTS execution with real-time monitoring, and post-mission data analysis and delivery. Exobiosphere's mission is to improve and extend health on Earth and in Space by leveraging microgravity conditions that accelerate cellular aging and disease progression, enabling more precise disease models and faster drug screening than achievable on Earth.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Orbital High-Throughput Screener (OHTS) Compact, autonomous, miniaturized laboratory platform capable of conducting 2,000+ automated experiments per mission in microgravity. Integrates precision liquid handling (MANTIS from Formulatrix), environmental control, robotic manipulation, and live imaging (brightfield and fluorescent microscopy) in a carry-on-sized unit. Supports industry-standard 384- and 1536-well plates, with real-time experimental monitoring and data transfer to Earth. Designed for installation aboard the ISS and Vast's Haven-1 commercial space station for use by pharmaceutical and biotech research customers.
- Space-Based Contract Research Services End-to-end contract research services for drug discovery in space, covering feasibility assessment, assay adaptation, optimization and automation, mission preparation, launch, automated experiment execution on the OHTS platform, and post-mission data delivery. Sold to pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms, and research institutions on a per-mission basis.
- Ground-Based High-Throughput Screening Platform Terrestrial version of the automated OHTS platform sold to academic and research institutions for biomedical research and as a ground-based testbed supporting future spaceflight experiments. Operated by research labs such as Dr. Meenal Datta's lab at the University of Notre Dame for immunology and tumor microenvironment research.
- Space Mission Integration Services Professional services covering hardware qualification, mission preparation, execution of automated experiments in orbit, and delivery of scientific data to research teams on Earth. Includes full mission management and integration with space station operators (Vast, Voyager Technologies, Space Cargo Unlimited) and government customers such as ESA.
- Space-Derived Biological Data and Analytics Services Generation, processing, and sale of space-derived biological data to pharmaceutical and biotech partners for AI-driven drug discovery models. Includes real-time data transfer from orbit, post-flight molecular and functional analyses, multi-OMICS readouts, high-content imaging, and FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) datasets.
Quantifiable outcome
- 2,000+ simultaneous drug screening samples per mission
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Exobiosphere
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Exobiosphere technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability6 records
Feature4 records
Exobiosphere partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered support, core, strategic and minor.
- CASSINI Business AcceleratorsupportSelected for seventh edition of Europe's largest space startup accelerator. Six-month program (May-October 2026) providing business coaching, mentoring, investor matchmaking, Demo Day access, international business trip, and €75,000 equity-free voucher.
- Voyager TechnologiescoreMission management contract for ISS operations - Voyager Technologies Europe serves as mission integrator for OHTS platform aboard ISS. Provides project management, NASA safety verification, integration, and on-orbit operations coordination for the permanently installed payload.
- European Space Agency (ESA)core€200K contract under Bioengineering in Space Environment challenge for nine-month feasibility study. Selected for end-to-end microgravity research service contract to operate OHTS on Vast's Haven-1, with science selection through ESA's Open Space Innovation Platform.
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB)core€1.4M Gravity-AI collaborative project funded under FNR AI-HPC BRIDGES Call 2025. Project develops microgravity-enabled AI predictive models for neurodegeneration (Parkinson's, Alzheimer's) combining space biology with high-performance computing and machine learning.
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) - OH(T)SIZONstrategicOH(T)SIZON research project with FNR Industrial Fellowship to Dr. Beatriz Silva. Project optimizes end-to-end screening workflow for neuroinflammation drug discovery using Exobiosphere's OHTS platform configured with human monocyte reporter system.
- Myriamed GmbHstrategicESA BSGN joint project 'myrSpaceCardio' - pioneering initiative to develop next-generation human cardiac tissue models in microgravity. Exobiosphere provides OHTS platform for automated, standardized, high-throughput cardiac tissue testing in orbit.
- KIST-Europe Forschungsgesellschaft mbHminorNon-profit research organization contributing scientific expertise in human stem-cell-derived organoids, phenotypic characterization, and multi-omics analysis for ESA BSGN myrSpaceCardio project.
- University of Notre DamestrategicStrategic agreement for acquisition and deployment of terrestrial version of automated high-throughput screening system. Platform to be installed at Notre Dame in mid-2026 for biomedical research and ground-based testbed supporting future spaceflight experiments.
- Cedars-SinaicoreAcademic medical center partnering with Exobiosphere to launch biomedical research aboard Vast's Haven-1 space station. Investigators will study organoid growth in microgravity to understand disease mechanisms and develop therapies for conditions affecting astronauts and Earth-based patients.
- Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH)coreSigned MoU to jointly advance biomedical research and drug discovery in space. Partnership focuses on developing space-grade patient-derived models and validating therapeutic discovery pipelines for neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson's through NCER-PD program.
- ElevationSpacestrategicMoU to enable high-frequency sample return from space. Exobiosphere's OHTS to be integrated into ElevationSpace's free-flying demonstrator satellite (ELS-R) and high-frequency recovery capsule (ELS-RS) for monthly sample return opportunities.
- FormulatrixcoreTechnology partnership for MANTIS Liquid Dispenser integration. Formulatrix's dispenser validated to work in microgravity - first high-throughput fluidic system validated in weightlessness. Critical enabler of precise liquid handling across Exobiosphere's mission roadmap.
- Space Cargo UnlimitedcoreMoU signed at Paris Air Show to launch joint space missions deploying OHTS platform aboard Space Cargo Unlimited's BentoBox platform. First joint mission targeted for 2026, creating Europe's first fully integrated bio-research mission architecture with autonomous return capability.
- VastcoreOfficial payload partner for Haven-1 Lab - OHTS platform to be installed aboard world's first commercial crewed space station. Partnership enables automated cell culture experiments in microgravity for pharmaceutical and biotech partners.
- EYnovation ProgramsupportEY's startup acceleration program providing strategic business advisory, access to extensive network, and tailored growth acceleration services for space-based biotech commercialization.
- House of BioHealthcoreAccepted into BioIncubator providing specialized laboratory spaces, advanced imaging systems, bioinformatics tools, and robotics essential for high-throughput screening in microgravity environments.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights9 records
Exobiosphere competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Space Tango: Kentucky-based commercial space company providing microgravity research platforms and payload services to pharma/biotech customers. Directly competes with Exobiosphere for the same CRO-style customers seeking automated on-orbit biological experimentation.
- Yuri (formerly Yuri Gravity): German microgravity biotech providing end-to-end research services and biotech experiment infrastructure in space, including cell biology and 3D tissue culture. Operates as a Europe-headquartered space CRO closely comparable to Exobiosphere's positioning.
- SpacePharma: Israel-based microgravity biotech operating miniaturized, remotely controlled orbital labs for pharmaceutical and biological research. Overlapping offering of automated on-orbit experimentation targeted at pharma and academic customers.
Broad incumbents
- Redwire Corporation: Established space infrastructure company with a portfolio of in-space biotech R&D platforms (e.g., SABL, BioFabrication Facility) used on ISS. A much larger incumbent whose biotech payload suite broadly overlaps with Exobiosphere's screening-as-a-service ambitions.
Emerging players
- Prometheus Life Technologies: Early-stage company developing bioreactor and cell-culture systems for microgravity research. Emerging player intersecting Exobiosphere's territory in space-enabled tissue engineering and life sciences experimentation.
- Varda Space Industries: US in-space manufacturing company building orbital factories with reentry capsules. While its primary focus is materials (e.g., pharmaceuticals in microgravity), it is a complementary emerging player that could overlap or partner with Exobiosphere on sample-return missions.
- BioServe Space Technologies: University of Colorado-based research center offering end-to-end microgravity life sciences payload services with long ISS flight heritage. Provides research-as-a-service in a similar CRO style for academic and pharma customers.
- LambdaVision: Microgravity-enabled biotech developing protein-based retinal implants manufactured on the ISS. Leverages microgravity manufacturing similar to Exobiosphere's biomedical use cases but focused on a single therapeutic product rather than a CRO platform.
Others
- Voyager Technologies: ISS mission-management integrator and space-tech prime that serves as Exobiosphere's mission integrator. Adjacent ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor; valuations/route-to-market partner for orbital deployments.
- Vast: Commercial space station developer building Haven-1 and successor stations. Strategic host/customer of Exobiosphere's OHTS platform rather than a competitor, but a critical dependency for orbital revenue.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Exobiosphere social profiles
Digital presenceExobiosphere financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Exobiosphere leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Exobiosphere funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors5 records
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Exobiosphere M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Exobiosphere
What does Exobiosphere do?
Exobiosphere operates as the world's first contract research organization (CRO) dedicated to drug discovery in space. The company develops and operates the Orbital High-Throughput Screener (OHTS), a compact, autonomous platform that runs 2,000+ simultaneous biological experiments per mission in microgravity. It sells mission-based research services, hardware platforms (orbital and ground-based versions), and derived biological data to pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms, and research institutions for drug screening, disease modeling, and target identification.
Is Exobiosphere a public or private company?
Exobiosphere is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Exobiosphere founded?
Exobiosphere was founded in 2024. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Exobiosphere based?
Exobiosphere is headquartered in Esch-sur-alzette, Luxembourg, in the Europe region.
How does Exobiosphere make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Contract Research Services are the primary driver. The others are space Mission Integration Services, ground-based Platform Sales and data and Analytics Services.
Who are Exobiosphere's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Space Tango, Yuri (formerly Yuri Gravity) and SpacePharma. Redwire Corporation is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are Prometheus Life Technologies, Varda Space Industries, BioServe Space Technologies and LambdaVision. Others are Voyager Technologies and Vast.
Does Exobiosphere have an API?
No public API is recorded for Exobiosphere.
What industry is Exobiosphere in?
Exobiosphere's product category is Contract Research Services (Space Biotechnology). Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGAAAB, Preclinical CROs (Discovery/Pharmacology/DMPK), with a secondary code of HLAGAAAE, Central Laboratory & Clinical Trial Testing CROs. Its NAICS code is 5417 and its SIC code is 8731.