Nikon's NEMO is set to launch on the ISS this week.
Nikon will send its live‑cell observation system, the Nikon Experimentation Microscope in Orbit (NEMO), to the International Space Station. NEMO combines Nikon’s microscope with an automated incubator from BioServe Space Technologies. The hardware will launch aboard NASA’s Northrop Grumman CRS‑24 resupply flight. The instrument is intended to study how microgravity influences drug discovery, tissue behavior and the aging process. In space, reduced gravity accelerates biological changes such as bone loss and epigenetic aging, offering a unique model for age‑related disease research. By observing cells in real time, scientists hope to pinpoint mechanisms that are difficult to capture on Earth. Research will use microphysiological systems (MPS), 3‑D cell cultures that mimic real tissue more accurately than traditional monolayers. NEMO’s high‑resolution imaging will monitor cell responses, drug interactions and tissue architecture under microgravity. Findings could inform both medical therapies and future human space exploration. CRS‑24 is slated to deliver up to 11,000 lb of scientific payloads, including NEMO, a new Cold Atom Lab module, and experiments on space weather, gut microbiomes, and radiation effects. The mission launches on 11 April and aims to expand quantum science and astronaut health knowledge. These combined studies support NASA’s goals for Moon and Mars missions.
