Space Tango (Bioculture)

Recognized under Tier 6 — Food Systems, Space Tango operates automated CubeLab and TangoLab hardware aboard the ISS National Laboratory that supports microgravity bioprocessing research spanning food, pharmaceuticals, and materials. Since installing its first TangoLab module in 2016 under a NASA Space Act Agreement, the company has flown on more than 20 missions and conducted upwards of 180 investigations, standardizing autonomous experiment operations so researchers need not be physically present in orbit. Its bioculture work includes studies on cell and tissue growth in microgravity relevant to both drug development and cultivated-food production methods. By making iterative, automated biological experimentation in orbit routine and affordable, Space Tango's infrastructure supports the R&D pipeline needed to validate bioculture-based food production — including cultivated protein — before it can be deployed to sustain crews on long-duration Moon and Mars missions.