What BioOrbit does

BioOrbit is a London-based space biotechnology company founded in 2023 that develops proprietary hardware for microgravity protein crystallization to improve pharmaceutical manufacturing of biologics. The company has built a three-tier product platform comprising BOX-T for research validation, BOX-S for preclinical and clinical development, and BOX-R for industrial-scale mass manufacture, all designed for dual-environment operation on Earth and in orbit. In May 2026, BioOrbit launched Box-E, a compact drug-crystallization unit, to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX rocket and subsequently achieved record-breaking protein crystal production at one to two orders of magnitude above prior space-based attempts, with crystals reaching approximately 500μm.

The company generates revenue through pharmaceutical manufacturing services for biologics developers, with professional-services-style engagements managed via a "Book a Project" contact form, alongside potential future technology licensing. Its target customers are pharmaceutical and biotech companies developing protein-based drugs, monoclonal antibodies, and vaccines, with primary use cases in oncology (enabling home self-injectable cancer treatments instead of hospital IV infusions) and rare disease biologics. BioOrbit's commercial channels are direct enterprise sales to international pharma and biotech counterparties, supported by marketing through major tech conferences such as SLUSH and London Tech Week and earned media coverage.

BioOrbit is backed by a £9.8 million seed round co-led by LocalGlobe and Breega, described as the world's largest seed round for in-space manufacturing, with additional capital from a £250,000 UK Space Agency PHARM feasibility study. Strategic partnerships include the UK Space Agency, MHRA, Civil Aviation Authority, and an MoU with commercial space station developer Vast to continue microgravity research beyond ISS retirement. The company was recognized as one of Tech Nation's Future Fifty companies in 2025 and is led by CEO and co-founder Dr. Katie King alongside President Dr. Molly Mulligan, CSO Dr. Kenneth Savin, and CTO Jacques Fossey, with approximately 15-16 employees.

Name

BioOrbit

Legal name

BioOrbit Ltd

Website

https://bioorbit.space

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

BioOrbit is a London-based space biotechnology company building a proprietary microgravity protein crystallization platform (BOX-T, BOX-S, BOX-R, and ISS-deployed Box-E) for pharmaceutical manufacturing of biologics, targeting oncology and rare disease drug developers seeking injectable, home-administered formulations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Space Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414), Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing (3254)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836), Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)

akta.pro primary industry

Crystallization, Particle Engineering & Micronization Services (HLAGAHAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Process Development & Tech Transfer Services (upstream/downstream) (HLAAAKAF), Biologic API/Drug Substance Manufacturing Services (HLAAAKAA)

Keywords

• Microgravity crystallization
• In-space biopharmaceutical manufacturing
• Protein drug crystallization
• Biologics formulation services
• Orbital pharmaceutical manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Services: BioOrbit provides microgravity crystallization services to pharmaceutical companies, enabling transformation of high-value protein-based drugs into injectable formats. Revenue likely generated through service contracts, research partnerships, and potentially milestone-based payments for drug development programs.
2. Technology Licensing: Potential future revenue from licensing proprietary microgravity crystallization technology and processes to pharmaceutical partners for drug reformulation and manufacturing.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

BioOrbit develops and operates a proprietary scalable microgravity crystallization platform for pharmaceutical manufacturing of biologics. The platform comprises three staged systems (BOX-T for research, BOX-S for preclinical/clinical, BOX-R for mass manufacture) plus the Box-E orbital unit flown to the ISS. The company delivers microgravity crystallization services to pharmaceutical companies, enabling transformation of high-value protein-based drugs into injectable formats for home administration.

Product overview

BioOrbit is building the leading scalable crystallisation platform for complex biologics, comprising a proprietary product line designed for dual-environment operation: BOX-T for research validation in microgravity, BOX-S for preclinical and clinical access, and BOX-R for mass manufacture. The company deploys Box-E, a compact ISS crystallisation unit, for orbital drug manufacturing experiments. The platform enables transformation of high-value protein-based drugs into injectable formats for home administration, with applications in oncology care shifting from hospital to home.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BOX-T (Research Platform) Research-grade crystallization unit designed and built to validate crystallization in microgravity environments. Used by pharmaceutical researchers to test and validate the feasibility of microgravity crystallization for biologic drug candidates.
• BOX-S (Pre/Clinical Platform) Preclinical and clinical-grade crystallization platform that unlocks access for biologic drug development through preclinical and clinical stages. Used by pharmaceutical companies to produce crystallization data and material for regulatory submissions.
• BOX-R (Mass Manufacture Platform) Industrial-scale crystallization platform that unlocks mass manufacture for large-scale production of crystallized biologics. Used by pharmaceutical companies for commercial-scale microgravity crystallization of protein-based drugs.
• Box-E Orbital Manufacturing Unit Compact orbital drug-crystallisation unit deployed to the International Space Station to grow ultra-pure protein crystals in microgravity for biologic drugs, including self-injected cancer treatments. Demonstrated record-breaking protein crystal production scale on the ISS.
• Microgravity Crystallization Services Bespoke microgravity crystallization services provided to pharmaceutical and biotech companies developing protein-based drugs. Enables transformation of high-value biologics into injectable formats for home administration, with applications in oncology care shifting from hospital to home. Engagements initiated via 'Book a Project' contact channel.

Quantifiable outcome

• Protein crystals reaching 500μm in space (compared to significantly smaller on Earth)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• VastcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 June 2026Commercial space station company Vast signed MoU with BioOrbit to enable biomedical research work on Vast's commercial station after ISS retirement. BioOrbit will continue and expand microgravity research currently conducted on the ISS through this partnership.
• UK Space AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 March 2026UK Space Agency funding £250,000 feasibility study for BioOrbit (PHARM study) to develop in-orbit crystallization of biologic drugs for cancer treatments. Study runs until March 2026, part of £2.2m government investment in space biopharma.
• MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 March 2026Joint regulatory roadmap enabling in-orbit pharmaceutical manufacturing, providing supportive regulatory environment for BioOrbit's drug development activities.
• Civil Aviation AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 March 2026Partnership to develop licensing guidance for in-orbit manufacturing platforms and re-entry regulatory sandbox supporting space pharmaceutical development.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Emerging players

• LambdaVision: LambdaVision uses microgravity to produce a protein-based artificial retina and is exploring microgravity-enabled biotech manufacturing. It is an emerging player with thematic overlap to BioOrbit's space-based protein crystallization platform for therapeutic applications.
• BioServe Space Technologies: BioServe Space Technologies (University of Colorado) is a long-standing microgravity life sciences and biotech research payload developer that has flown dozens of pharma-relevant experiments on the ISS. It is comparable as a peer institution developing microgravity biotech research infrastructure.
• Encapsulate: Encapsulate develops automated tumor-on-a-chip platforms and has conducted microgravity-enabled drug screening and validation experiments. It is an emerging player intersecting BioOrbit's downstream use case of validating biologics via space-enabled biology platforms.

Direct peers

• Varda Space Industries: Varda Space Industries builds orbital factories for in-space pharmaceutical manufacturing, including microgravity-grown drug crystals. It is the closest direct peer to BioOrbit, sharing the same core thesis of producing pharmaceutical-grade crystals in orbit for terrestrial drug formulation.
• Space Tango: Space Tango operates microgravity research platforms on the ISS for biotech and pharma customers, including crystallization and bioprocessing experiments. It is directly comparable to BioOrbit in providing microgravity R&D infrastructure for biological and pharmaceutical applications.
• SpacePharma: SpacePharma develops miniaturized microgravity laboratories for pharmaceutical and biological research, both on the ISS and via autonomous satellites. It is directly comparable to BioOrbit in operating end-to-end microgravity experimentation infrastructure for pharma and biotech.
• Made In Space (Redwire subsidiary): Made In Space pioneered in-space additive manufacturing and is now part of Redwire's space biotechnology portfolio. It is a direct peer to BioOrbit in demonstrating scalable, on-orbit manufacturing of high-value materials, with overlapping capabilities in space-based production hardware.

Broad incumbents

• Redwire Corporation: Redwire is a publicly traded space infrastructure company with a portfolio spanning in-space biotech, manufacturing, and orbital hardware (including the former Made In Space). It is a broad incumbent competing with BioOrbit across microgravity biotech payloads and on-orbit manufacturing platforms.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors7 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about BioOrbit