The next industrial revolution on Earth

will happen in Space

The new challenges facing the planet require new innovations for the good of humanity.

REV1, YOUR FLYING FACTORY

The next Industrial Revolution will be rooted in Space.

REV1 was created to meet the practical needs of industrial
players and researchers wishing to take advantage of the space environment to find solutions to problems here on Earth.

REV1 has been designed by a team with more than 20 years’ experience in research and production in the space environment within a company that has successfully carried outa variety of complex missions on board the most efficient spacecraft, including SpaceX, Blue Origin and the ISS.

DRIVING SECTORS

More than 30 years of space research have shown how space and its microgravity can provide a unique environment for both experiments and production. The absence of gravity cannot be simulated durably on Earth. Without gravity, many of the physical limitations that exist on Earth simply disappear.

For many sectors, Space offers ideal conditions for making things that are impossible to produce on Earth, or for manufacturing more efficient products.

All physical processes involving phase changes are impacted: convection and sedimentation phenomena are almost absent in space microgravity at low Earth orbit.

For example, this can make alloys more uniform, facilitate the formation of perfect spheres, speed up crystallization. In addition, some biological processes are accelerated, such as the reproduction of stem cells or the development of increased resistance to stresses less intense than those induced by microgravity.

Agriculture

Exposing plants to space microgravity forces them to adapt to stresses they would never experience on Earth. The internal reorganization that this induces in individual plants represents natural adaptation, which could give rise to new varieties that are more resistant to conventional stresses on Earth.

Research currently in progress has shown the benefits of such an approach, and analyses are continuing to see how the process can be industrialized.

MEDECINE

3D printing of organ tissue or even complete organs is optimized in microgravity. Similarly, microencapsulation is facilitated, with the possibilities this offers for developing the therapeutic solutions of the future.

Such innovative processes are very difficult to set up on Earth and space microgravity can thus beused to demonstrate their benefits, opening the way to still further medical progress for the good of everyone on Earth.

PHARMACEUTICAL
SECTOR

Drug discovery requires the study of proteins in their crystallized form, something that is difficult to achieve on Earth. Protein crystallization in space microgravity can thus lead to advances in pharmaceutical research.

The scientific community expects to learn a lot from the analysis of monoclonal antibodies, whichwere first studied in Space. This research could lead to significant changes in the treatment of cancers and autoimmune diseases.

WHY PRODUCE IN MICROGRAVITY ?

Without gravity, many of the physical limitations that exist on Earth simply disappear.
For many sectors, Space offers ideal conditions for making things that are impossible to produce on Earth, or for making existing products more efficient.

All physical processes involving phase changes are impacted: convection and sedimentation phenomena are almost absent in space microgravity.
This can make alloys more homogenous, facilitate the formation of perfect spheres, speed up crystallization.
In addition, some biological processes are accelerated, such as the reproduction of stem cells or the increase of cells resistance as they are exposed back on Earth to stresses less intense than those induced by Space microgravity.

Space vacuum can also be used like a clean room, with a total absence of dust. Alternating extreme temperatures can also be used to test the strength of certain materials. And finally, the presence of cosmic radiation can be used to alter certain biological components and study their behavior in the face of particular stresses.

REV1 opens up immense potential for industry, whether for fundamental innovation or optimal performance.

The next few years will see the emergence of solutions still unimaginable by humans today.

Space Cargo Unlimited

Spaceship Charters for the future of Earth

Space Cargo Unlimited is a European startup founded in 2014 by highly regarded private investors and space enthusiast entrepreneurs. Fostered by the New Space dynamic, the technological advances and falling operational costs of next-generation pressurized space vehicles, Space Cargo Unlimited is dedicated to leveraging the potential of space-microgravity research for commercial applications on space-microgravity research for commercial applications on Earth.

Building strategic partnerships with space operators

government agencies and leveraging the high-level expertise of the European industry, Space Cargo Unlimited deploys comprehensive expertise in complex microgravity project management and funding, to nurture various innovative and impactful initiatives for the Earth’s future.
Headquartered in Luxembourg, the company operates with teams and partners in France, Germany, Italy, and the USA

From reinventing applied biology research in microgravity

to new material manufacturing, Space Cargo Unlimited aims to beat the forefront of the New Space revolution by providing novel new value-added products and services.

“Thanks to a new generation of space pressurized vehicles, amazing new service opportunities have arisen. Space has a lot to offer to Earth.”
Says Nicolas Gaume, Co-Founder and CEO of Space Cargo Unlimited.

Among other opportunities, Space Cargo Unlimited will first ocuson bridging the gap between research and industry, across both private and public sectors, to define new applied-research methodologies in complex microgravity project management.
Such developments are made possible by partnering with key space players such as Thales Alenia Space, Nanoracks, Airbus Defense& Space, and Blue Origin.

“The space industry business models and funding mechanisms remain extremely fragile and difficult
to establish, by developing new innovative financial models and engaging new sources of funding9
we aim to drastically accelerate space exploration and space commercialization.”

adds Nicolas Gaume

Space Cargo Unlimited aims to operate, by 2030, a 30-ton research and manufacturing platform.

What we do

Space Cargo Unlimited charters pressurized spaceships with return capacity.

It empowers research and manufacturing missions in Low Earth Orbit, unleashing the impact of the space environment to forge a variety of high-impact products for Earth, from life sciences to new materials. Working in collaboration with the science team from its biotech subsidiary, Space Biology Unlimited, on November 2nd 2019, Space Cargo Unlimited launched the first privately-lead comprehensive research program on the ISS: Mission WISE, with a particular focus on the future of agriculture for a changing Earth.

Over billions of years, Gravity has shaped life on Earth

by constantly influencing biological and physical phenomena during all stages of developmental history. Indeed, Gravity is the only parameter of Life that has not drastically evolved since Earth’s formation, as opposed to others such as temperature, light, pressure or humidity. It therefore played a major role in shaping evolution and life and matter as we know them today.

To counteract gravity, living organisms for instance, developed systems to provide cell membrane rigidity, fluid flow regulation, and appropriate structural support for locomotion.
Experiments on the International Space Station have proven that gravity influences the way that cells behave and develop inaprofound and subtle manner.

In Low Earth Orbit, cells exposed to near-zero gravity

(microgravity) are affected by physical changes that occur in this unique environment, that is impossible to recreate on Earth. These changes include loss of gravity-dependent convection, negligible hydrodynamic shear, increased membrane fluidity, and lack of sedimentation.

This leads to significant evolutions in the way that the cells respond to a wide array of environmental and internal biophysical stresses. Enzymatic, genetic, and epigenetic pathways change in Concert, leading to modifications in the shape, funetion, and behavior of cells and tissues.

Space Cargo Unlimited believes these dynamics,

properly leveraged on matter from Earth, can provide significant developments in the fields of agriculture and health care on Earth. Exposure of plants and other biomaterials to the space environment and radiation, in combination with other abiotic and biotic stressors, will trigger a variety of molecular responses to enhance natural defenses. The molecular machinery and mechanisms that result in the evolution of biological systems in the space environment will include changes in gene expression, mutation, hyper-induction of transcription, epigenetic regulation of gene activity, inhibition or acceleration of RNA decay of stress-induced transcripts, stabilization of specific transeripts, and/or accumulation of signaling molecules. It is the combination of these responses that will change the global systemic organization of plants and enhance their recovery abilities back on Earth.
This will be explored actively, from 2019 to 2022, throughout the WISE mission.

This will be explored actively, from 2019 to 2022,
throughout the WISE mission.

Space Biology Unlimited

The first Space Biotech.

Space Biology Unlimited is a French biotech company, subsidiary of space Cargo Unlimited, aiming to approach life science research in Space with disruptive methodologies. Headquartered in Bordeaux, France, space Biology Unlimited is comprised of a team of 15 people, bringing together multidisciplinary scientists and technical expertise. The team operates from the University of Bordeaux, France and the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany.

Space Biology Unlimited has developed a holistic culture for bridging microgravity and applied research.

Space Biology Unlimited’s core approach revolves around the notion of «guided evolution» – the space environment offers unique conditions that the company’s research team intends to leverage to induce evolutionary processes in living organisms for the development of new and natural variants adapted to the drastic new challenges posed on Earth due to climate change.

Space Biology Unlimited is participating to the NASA commercial ISS initiative in partnership

with NanoRacks, Space Biology Unlimited also benefits from a 5 years partnership with CNES and works in partnership with its CADMOS lab (Center for Development and Assistance on Microgravity and Spatial Operations) in Toulouse, France. «We are thrilled to support Space Biology Unlimited in their audacious adventure» says Mr. Lionel Suchet, Chief Operating Officer for the CNES (Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales, France). «Our collaboration lays the foundation of a new era of partnerships in Europe to explore the future of microbiology research in microgravity.» This initiative is also actively supported by ESA (European Space Agency).

How the space environment influences organisms:

An astrobiological perspective and review The unique environment of space is characterized by several stress factors, including intense radiation, microgravity, high vacuum and extreme temperatures, among others. These stress conditions individually or in-combination influence genetics and gene regulation and bring potential evolutionary changes in organisms that would not occur under the Earth’s gravity regime (1 x g). Thus, space can be explored to support the emergence of new varieties of microbes and plants, that when selected for, can exhibit increased growth and yield, improved resistance to pathogens, enhanced tolerance to drought, low nutrient and disease, produce new metabolites and others. These properties may be more difficult to achieve using other approaches under 1 x g.

This review provides an overview of the space microgravity and ionizing radiation conditions that significantly influence organisms. Changes in the genomics, physiology, phenotype, growth and metabolites of organisms in real and simulated microgravity and radiation conditions are illustrated.

MISSION WISE

The first privately lead comprehensive research program on the ISS, Mission WISE, focusing on the future of agriculture for a changing Earth

COMMUBIOS (Novembre 2019)

will analyze the impact of radiation and microgravity on wine components such as polyphenols, crystals, and colloids during the aging process, in order to develop new flavors, nutritional, and digestive properties for the food industry.

Visit Nasa Website
COMMUBIOS WILL BE LAUNCHED ON NORTHROP GRUMMAN - ANTARES / CYGNUS FROM WALLOPS ISLAND, VIRGINIA, USA, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THALES ALENIA SPACE & NANORACKS

COMMUBIOS (Novembre 2019)

ALPHA (December 2019)

ALPHA (December 2019)

will assess the scientific protocols for the WISE program by studying changes in microorganisms subjected to artificial stressors (salt, humidity, and temperature), and the constraints related to microgravity and solar radiation during a suborbital flight.

CANES (March 2020)

will specifically investigate plant reactions to microgravity to explore new defense strategies, particularly to endemic diseases, such as mildew.
CANES WILL BE LAUNCHED ON DRAGON / FALCON 9 CRS-20 flight (SPACEX) FROM CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA, USA, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CNES & ESA

CANES (March 2020)

WYBSTUDY (H2 2024)

WYBSTUDY (H2 2024)

will focus on the effects of microgravity on bacteria and yeasts, investigating the possibility of generating new secondary metabolites for the health and agri-food sectors.

FERMONT (H2 2025)

will examine changes in fermentation kinetics, bacteria and yeasts in order to generate strains with new genomic properties, including better resistance to stress and pathogens, for the agri-food industry.

FERMONT (H2 2025)

SECONDPRO (H2 2025)

SECONDPRO (H2 2025)

will study the space environment's effect on yeasts and bacteria, focusing on metabolites, including resveratrol, with the aim of changing their antioxidant property to prevent neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases such as cancer.

VIDEOS

Deep dive on mission wise operations, the science of wise and our research team.

OUR TEAM, PARTNERS & LAUNCH
PROVIDERS, SINCE 2015

Achim Schwartzwälder

CTO

Achim Schwarzwälder as Space Operations, Senior Director at the new Startup Space Cargo Unlimited manages space adventures enabled by innovative funding schemes which shall lever private microgravity research focusing on rapid industrial applications. Achim studied space engineering and joint Space Cargo Unlimited in the year 2017. In his previous positions he was dedicated to biological research in space and headed the life science department at Airbus Defense and Space. Within this functions he initiated many successful international projects on various carriers, which are considered as pioneer projects in new space markets and new customer bases. Next to other international cooperation he was one of the first partners of NANORACKS and establish the first international scientific cooperation in the Manned Spaceflight Program of China. The last 3 years at Airbus Defense and Space he led the transformation office to optimize the company organization, processes, major space platforms evolutions and implemented new technology initiatives increasing the company competitiveness. By joining Space Cargo Unlimited Achim followed his strong believe that microgravity matters in industrial, food and medical applications and that innovative funding schemes attracting UHNWI’s are the key to privatize space research. German-born, Achim has been living in Germany and Luxembourg since 2017.

Dan Katz

President, REV1

He is a former business lawyer turned innovator and tech entrepreneur. He served as Chief Data Officer in a large international aerospace group and regularly acts as mentor for startups. Dan also opened two coworking cafés in Paris amongst other entrepreneurial projects. Dan has demonstrated deep negotiations skills in multiple complex projects. He showed his abilities to bridge the gap between promising technologies and go to market work. He has navigated scattered projects engagement and misaligned stakeholders to reach successful delivery. As such he was engaged in 2015 by Space Cargo Unlimited to lead strategic partnerships and corporate affairs. He has secured multiple procurements partnership for the company delivering options for the company’s space flight needs. He is now managing the REV1 program, building the partnership framework with TASI, supporting the company’s CTO project management, as well as the partnership with space agencies, the legal and insurance set up for our operations and the overall go to market strategy and business perspectives with the company’s CEO. French-born, Dan lives currently between Paris and Turin.

Emmanuel Etcheparre

Co-founder & President, SBU

Co-founder of Space Cargo Unlimited, is a French digital entrepreneur with a history of launching innovative projects and companies that leverage bleeding edge technologies in fields as diverse as website development, video games, online communities, and specialized international marketplaces. Emmanuel is passionate about technology and how it can be applied to real-world challenges to create genuine progress and value for all stakeholders. He leads Space Biology Unlimited activities, ranging from the research team coordination in close partnership with CTO Achim Schwarzwaelder, scientific partnerships in close relationship with Chief Scientific Officer, Professor Michael Lebert, outcomes delivery, go to market engagement and overall business development work in close partnership with CEO Nicolas Gaume. Emmanuel lives in Bordeaux, France.

Ferdinand Haag

Payload Architect

Ferdinand, as lead Payload Systems Architect at Space Cargo Unlimited is leading the development and implementation of the Space Cargo Unlimited in Orbit factory which is grounded on customer needs for a good end - product. Ferdinand joined Space Cargo Unlimited in 2020. At his previous positions he successfully developed and built Hardware for research in Space and weightlessness by matching the restraints of the different carriers and researcher needs. Within those tasks he developed and produced the first 3d printed plastic parts ever flown in space. By joining Space Cargo Unlimited Ferdinand follows his patience for technical innovation driven by the customers needs for high quality end products. He strongly believes that in-Space Manufacturing is beneficial for Humankind on Earth. German born, Ferdinand is living and working across Europe.

Jan Woerner

Senior advisor

KarIne Courtin

Board Member & Investor

She is an investor, with a long lasting interest in innovation and disruptive technologies. As an engineer, early in her career, Karine worked on military aeronautics special projects at Safran Electronics & Defense. She later founded and led an innovative start-up focused on developing disruptive packaging for the cosmetic industry. She grew a strong interest in space and, in 2018, decided to invest in Space Cargo Unlimited and joined, the same year, the company’s board, where she is now supporting operations and strategy. Space Cargo Unlimited is a European space operator focused on unleashing the immense potential of in-space testing & manufacturing for Earth. Space Cargo Unlimited led mission WISE, the first comprehensive commercial LEO research program on the future of agriculture and viticulture on a climate changing Earth. Today Space Cargo Unlimited develops, in partnership with Thales Alenia Space, REV1, the space factory for tomorrow’s Earth. Karine is also an investor in Orbite Inc, operator of the Spaceflight Gateway Complex to open in 2025 in the USA: an astronaut training complex offering luxury accommodations, dining and recreation for commercial astronauts, their friends and families.

Michael Lebert

Chief Scientific Officer

Ph.D, Michael Lebert, is Space Cargo Unlimited’s Chief Scientific Officer. He is driving the company’s research strategy for all its projects, with a grounded holistic biological approach. Michael has studied biology first before becoming passionate by the impact of space on Life. Since 1991, he was involved in numerous space projects, flying in a variety of vehicles: IML, Space Shuttle, Foton, Bion, Texus, Maxus, and finally Compact Satellite. This led him to establish strong multi-disciplinary and international collaborations with Chinese, Russian, French and American partners. During these times, he grew his expertise from basic biological research to a combined know-how of biology, system engineering, and hardware development, allowing him to build and operate most effective payloads to drive his experiments. Michael is a very seldom species combining engineering and biology most synergistically. Michael joined Space Cargo Unlimited following his firm belief that basic research and application do not exclude but complement each other. He distinctly shares Space Cargo Unlimited founders view that space can bring powerful solutions to solve Earth problems in times of devastating changes. German-born, Michael lives in Germany and is still leading a University research group at FAU Erlangen.

Nicolas Gaume

Co-founder & CEO

He is the Co-founder & CEO of Space Cargo Unlimited, a European space operator focused on unleashing the immense potential of in-space testing & manufacturing for Earth. Space Cargo Unlimited led mission WISE, the first comprehensive commercial LEO research program on the future of agriculture and viticulture on a climate changing Earth. Today Space Cargo Unlimited develops, in partnership with Thales Alenia Space, REV1, the space factory for tomorrow’s Earth. Nicolas is also the Executive Chairman and Co-founder of Orbite, operator of the Spaceflight Gateway Complex to open in 2025 in the USA: an astronaut training complex offering luxury accommodations, dining and recreation for commercial astronauts, their friends and families. Since he was 19 in 1990, Nicolas founded or co-founded nine startups in multiple fields: gaming, web services, B2B trading, mobile and social apps publishing, software development tools, children book publishing, consulting services. In addition, Nicolas is actively involved in his family luxury real estate and hospitality activities, located on the Bay of Arcachon, France and has executive responsibilities at Microsoft, leading strategic partnerships and the international expansion team for Azure space, the company’s comprehensive set of technologies and services for the space industry and beyond.