Genesis Space Flight Laboratories recently featured Dr. Anna Sandak, InnoRenew CoE, UP IAM Materials research group leader, in a video presenting the STAR (Space Testing for Advanced Resilience of Engineered Living Materials) project and its first successful space experiment aboard the GEN-1P re-entry capsule.

As part of the SubOrbital Express-5 mission, launched on 31 May 2026 from Esrange Space Center in Sweden, biological samples, including a fungal strain used in the ARCHI-SKIN project, were sent into microgravity and safely returned to Earth. The experiment was conducted in the GEN-1P module, part of the GEN-1 capsule system developed by Genesis Space Flight Laboratories. The fungus survived the mission and it is now extensively tested to verify if the space conditions affected its genome and resistance against various stresses.

The STAR project investigates how fungal biofilms adapt to microgravity, radiation, temperature fluctuations and other space-related stresses. The findings will contribute to the development of Engineered Living Materials (ELMs) – bio-based materials capable of adapting, regenerating and self-healing. Such materials could have future applications in architecture, infrastructure and space exploration, while also supporting the development of bio-inspired technologies such as the ERC founded project ARCHI-SKIN.

Funded by the ERC POC Potencial programme and the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (ARIS), the STAR project is coordinated by UP IAM and led by Dr. Anna Sandak in collaboration with Dr. Anja Černoša and Ana Gubenšek, InnoRenew CoE, UP IAM researchers.

You are kindly invited to watch the video, in which Dr. Anna Sandak explains the mission, the research behind the STAR project and the potential of Engineered Living Materials for future sustainable technologies.

Image: Genesis Space Flight Laboratories