The first ever science park in space joins IASP!

IASP is delighted to announce that the George Washington Carver Science Park (GWC), the first ever science park in space, has just joined IASP!

Managed by Nanoracks, the world’s premier commercial provider of International Space Station hardware and services, the GWC is named in honour of the pioneering American agricultural scientist George Washington Carver, in recognition of his legacy of scientific discovery for the benefit of life on Earth. The GWC is already operating on the International Space Station (ISS) and is comprised of commercial research hardware and services supplied by Nanoracks. This hardware includes the Bishop Airlock, the first-ever permanent, wholly commercial module of the ISS; the Nanoracks CubeSat Deployer (NRCSD); the Nanoracks External Platform (NREP); a Plate Reader module; and other research hardware.

GWC looks forward to forging connections with other IASP members on Earth, and to offering use of the Park to resident companies and researchers, providing spaceflight and new in-space research opportunities for peers around the world. Nanoracks facilitates both commercial and academic access to the park, providing mission management, payload integration and logistics services, and has already opened access to space to more scientists than at any time in history. Researchers can now pursue studies in an array of disciplines, with facilities soon to expand to include a biology and life sciences portion, a materials science section, and an agricultural technologies (AgTech) element.

Beyond the ISS, the GWC will soon have a new home in Starlab, the world’s first free-flying commercial space station, to be launched by Nanoracks in 2027. Starlab will provide access to global scientists, researchers, universities, and businesses to comprehensive research hardware and volume on orbit. The platform itself will be approximately 1/3 the size of today’s ISS, containing a near equivalent amount of volume for research and development efforts. The scientific endeavour of the space station will be managed within the scope of the GWC, and as the park’s new home develops over the next six years, IASP looks forward to supporting our new member in bringing together a strong base of services and applications, and to sharing updates on this exciting project.

Nanoracks and the GWC open a new path in the development of our industry: science parks orbiting above the Earth and on the lunar surface.

To find out more about how you can collaborate with GWC, contact adrian.mangiuca@voyagerspace.com.

Please join us in welcoming our new member in space!