ALATYR is a French company with a bold vision: to create a new generation of robotic laboratories in space. Their goal is to make scientific research and orbital operations more autonomous, more repeatable, and faster to iterate.
(Credit Alatyr website)
Instead of relying on human crews for every task, ALATYR is developing systems that can perform experiments, collect data, and maintain instruments on their own. This approach opens the door to a new way of working in orbit, where science can run continuously, efficiently, and safely, even without astronauts on board.
Their projects are part of a broader effort to strengthen European capabilities in space research and industry. By combining robotics, automation, and miniaturized systems, ALATYR aims to make orbital platforms more accessible to both scientific and commercial users.
Among the many applications their technology supports, bioproduction in microgravity stands out as one of the most promising. The unique conditions of space offer new possibilities to study living systems, grow complex biological structures, and explore how life adapts outside Earth.
Scientists have long known that microgravity changes the way living systems behave. Cells grow differently, proteins crystallize in new ways, and tissues can form more natural three-dimensional structures when gravity no longer pulls everything in one direction. These unique conditions make space a valuable environment for studying biology and developing new materials.
Why: Bioproduction in space allows researchers to observe biological processes without the effects of sedimentation or convection. This can lead to better understanding of cell organizations, better growth of organoids, or more regular protein crystals for drug discovery.
How: The key is automation. In robotic stations, everything must run without human hands, so experiments rely on compact and reliable fluidic systems that can renew growth media, move reagents, and maintain stable conditions over long periods. These systems need to be as precise and robust as science itself.
For what:
Recent studies have already shown encouraging results. For example, research on the International Space Station in 2024 demonstrated that neural organoids derived from human stem cells matured more quickly and organized more naturally in space than on Earth.
Brain organoids grown from human stem cells were cultured both on Earth and in microgravity aboard the International Space Station. In space, the organoids showed faster maturation and more natural 3D organization, suggesting that microgravity may promote neural development. From Marotta, R. et al. “Effects of microgravity on human iPSC-derived neural organoids on the International Space Station.” Stem Cell Reports, December 2024. DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2024.11.005
This growing body of knowledge supports ALATYR’s decision to invest in microgravity bioproduction. By combining robotics, automation, and microfluidics, they are building the tools needed to make this field scalable and accessible.
As part of their development roadmap, ALATYR is working on a compact and autonomous instrument designed to sustain and nourish living cells in orbit. The goal is to create a microfluidic system capable of managing cell cultures automatically, keeping conditions stable and reproducible over long periods.
Such an application comes with significant challenges. In space, systems must withstand the launch’s strong mechanical stress and intense vibration, and then need to operate without maintenance, remain fully automated, and ensure continuous reliability throughout the mission. Every component must combine robustness, precision, and compactness, a demanding combination that defines the foundation of ALATYR’s design approach.
ALATYR’s microfluidic prototype tested during a CNES/Novespace parabolic flight campaign. The system integrates AMF’s rotary valves for precise and sealed fluid routing, validating automated media handling under microgravity conditions. (Credit Alatyr LinkedIn)
The long-term goal is to create a high-reliability platform that can handle precise media exchanges and environmental control in microgravity. In space, even the smallest disturbance in flow can affect a cell’s behavior, so the system must be both gentle and perfectly sealed.
Before moving toward an orbital mission, ALATYR began a series of early tests on Earth and during parabolic flight campaigns. These flights, supported by CNES and operated by Novespace, offer consecutive periods of weightlessness and are used to validate how equipment behaves in microgravity.
For these tests, ALATYR integrated two AMF RVM rotary valves into their prototype. The goal was to confirm the reliability of the fluidic architecture and the sealing performance of the system under real flight conditions.
The results would help them prepare for future developments aimed at fully automated biological experiments in orbit, where precision and robustness are key to success.
To build a system that could operate reliably in microgravity, ALATYR needed fluidic components that were compact, easy to integrate, and completely leak-tight. Even a small imperfection in sealing could disturb delicate cell cultures or compromise an experiment.
AMF’s RVM rotary valves were selected for their precision and proven performance in automated microfluidic setups. Their mechanical design provides excellent sealing, ensuring that each fluid path remains perfectly isolated. This prevents unwanted mixing or backflow, which is essential when working with living samples.
The valves also feature very low internal volume, reducing the loss of precious reagents, and a compact form factor that fits easily into flight-qualified systems where space and weight are limited. Their robust construction allows them to withstand vibration and repeated acceleration cycles during parabolic flight.
By combining reliability, precision, and small scale, the RVM valves offered ALATYR exactly what they needed: consistent fluid routing under variable gravity conditions. This successful integration laid the foundation for future automated systems capable of sustaining biological cultures in orbit.
In space, reliability is not just a feature, it is a requirement. Every component must work perfectly, every time, with no margin for failure or repair. This is where AMF’s industrial microfluidic technology brings real value.
Each valve and pump developed by AMF is built with Swiss precision engineering, combining the mechanical know-how of the watchmaking industry with the technical demands of advanced microfluidics. The result is a range of components that deliver accuracy, durability, and stability even under extreme conditions.
For applications like ALATYR’s automated space laboratory systems, this means:
Beyond technical performance, AMF provides close engineering support to help customers adapt every component to their unique setup. This collaborative approach accelerates development and ensures that each system integrates seamlessly into complex automation platforms.
By combining precision, robustness, and adaptability, AMF’s technology supports the next frontier of research, laboratories that operate autonomously beyond Earth.
After the completion of their parabolic flight tests, ALATYR is now advancing toward longer and more complex missions, like an automated science experiment onboard a reentry capsule due to launch in Q4 2025. Their goal is to demonstrate how automated laboratories can operate continuously in orbit, supporting different types of experiments without human presence.
Bioproduction remains one of the most exciting applications of this approach. It combines robotics, automation, and microfluidics to study how living systems behave in space and how these discoveries can benefit life on Earth. But the same technologies can also be used for materials science, chemistry, or fluid mechanics research, showing how versatile ALATYR’s vision really is.
By integrating AMF’s microfluidic components into the setup used during the parabolic flight campaign, ALATYR evaluated how specific fluidic elements performed under microgravity conditions. This test offered practical observations on fluid routing, sealing, and automated control during repeated gravity transitions, supporting ALATYR’s broader assessment of technologies suitable for future space experiments.
Visit alatyr.space to learn more about ALATYR’s vision of robotic space laboratories and factories for life-changing breakthroughs on Earth.
And explore with AMF how precision microfluidics is enabling the next generation of automated research systems, from Earth to orbit.
Write to us to learn more about our valves, pumps, and custom solutions for advanced applications.
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