First space pharmaceutical factory set to launch in October: What will it make?

A new space factory planned for launch in October will test whether low gravity can help produce materials for medical treatments.

Gravity does not affect space-based production in the same way it does on Earth. That difference can cause cells, proteins and other biological structures to organize themselves differently.

Helogen wants to turn that advantage into an automated space factory. The company plans to manufacture materials for artificial retinas and orthopedic solutions.

The missions beginning in October are intended to show whether this kind of production could eventually meet the strict standards of the medical industry.