The International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory and NASA have announced a webinar scheduled for August 18, 2025, at 1 p.m. Eastern to discuss research launching on SpaceX’s 33rd commercial resupply mission for NASA. The session will highlight several technical initiatives, including new approaches to in-orbit data processing and scientific investigations in tissue engineering and bone loss, all of which will be part of the upcoming ISS research payload.
The webinar features Tony James, chief architect for science and space at Red Hat, who will discuss an “Orbital Data Center” initiative in collaboration with Axiom Space. This project focuses on advancing in-orbit data storage and edge-processing by deploying the Red Hat Device Edge platform. According to the announcement, these new data capabilities will support near real-time analytics for experiments performed on-orbit, enabling more efficient scaling and iteration of research in space—a development that is expected to be critical for supporting research and manufacturing on future space platforms.
The session will also cover several biomedical research projects slated for launch. Anthony Atala, director at the Wake Forest Institute of Regenerative Medicine, will present on engineered liver tissue studies in microgravity, while Abba Zubair of Mayo Clinic will discuss the assessment of microgravity-induced bone loss via studies on bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. Arun Sharma from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center will highlight work with human induced pluripotent stem cells and their microgravity growth properties.
The ISS National Laboratory notes that these initiatives are relevant for data center technology, biomedical applications, and other advanced research activities that can utilize microgravity and in-orbit processing capabilities. The launch for SpaceX’s 33rd commercial resupply services mission is planned for no earlier than August 21, 2025, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
A recording of the webinar will be made available through the ISS National Lab’s YouTube channel. Additional technical details about each investigation will be released via the ISS National Lab launch page.
