Are you ready to fly to Mars yet? It's a significant challenge to keep astronauts healthy during such a long mission, but Lithuania’s biotech sector is helping the world achieve this. From International Space Station (ISS) flights to preparations for Artemis missions to the Moon, Lithuania's biotech sector is world-leading.
Including all sectors, Lithuania ranks 3rd overall among OECD countries in spending intensity for biotechnology research and development. And now, Lithuania is investing heavily in space biotech, alongside fellow members of the European Space Agency (ESA), which has approved record funding for the next three years.
Building a space economy on biotech foundations
"While we are not a launch-vehicle nation, we are increasingly competitive in high-value segments of the space economy: laser and photonics technologies, Earth-observation data systems, microelectronics, advanced smallsat platforms, and now also, space biotechnology and space medicine," states Egle Elena Sataite, Head of Space Hub LT at Innovation Agency Lithuania, the public agency responsible for developing the country’s innovation ecosystem and supporting companies as they start up and grow.
"Lithuania has considerable potential for growth in biotech, and the technologies being developed here will contribute to ESA's objectives. With world-class companies such as Thermo Fisher Scientific or Northway Biotech, Lithuania also hosts 120 life sciences startups, a large number given the country's size. The country’s excellence is found in gene editing, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, molecular biotechnology, and AI-driven solutions," says Sataite.
Over the next three years, Lithuania plans to invest €14.5 million in space R&D&I via ESA budget, with a focus on high-value technologies such as biotech. That's a 62% boost in spending over 2022-25. Lithuania wants to have the space sector account for 1% of its GDP by 2027, showing that "even smaller nations can lead in deep-tech innovation if they focus on high-precision niches that the global market demands. This national strategy is already yielding tangible results," emphasizes Sataite.
The first to enter NASA’s Space-H accelerator
"Lithuania's space potential is significantly stronger than its size would suggest," agrees Dominykas Milasius, co-founder of Delta Biosciences. "In addition to partnerships with ESA, we have collaborations with national agencies such as NASA, UK Space Agency, German DLR, and larger primes – ranging from traditional players, to new commercial LEO destinations."
Delta Biosciences made history as one of the first European companies selected for NASA's Space-H accelerator, which is a program focused on developing autonomous healthcare for deep-space missions. Building on its existing partnership with ESA, the company is developing innovative radioprotective compounds to shield astronauts from cosmic radiation during long-term missions to the Moon and Mars. This effort is complemented by a three-year ISS mission launching later in 2026 in partnership with ESA to validate pharmaceutical performance and shelf-life extension innovations, and to generate a unique long-duration in-orbit dataset on pharmaceutical stability. The company is also delivering a project under the UK Space Agency's International Bilateral Fund programme with a UK-based partner, LinkGevity, and a terrestrial irradiation experiment conducted with Germany's GSI Heavy Ion Research Institute.
"Delta Biosciences builds solutions across two complementary verticals: 'Earth for Space’ and 'Space for Earth,'" Milasius explained. "The first translates terrestrial biotechnology into countermeasures that protect astronauts and sensitive payloads from space radiation during long-duration missions by improving health and extending pharmaceutical shelf life. The second leverages the space environment to enable breakthroughs on Earth, from more physiologically faithful organoids for transplantation research to next-generation radiation countermeasures for defence personnel and cancer patients. In this sense, space is not only a destination, but a laboratory for next-generation biotechnology."
Promoting astronaut health with portable biotech
While protecting astronauts from radiation is essential for survival in deep space, long-duration missions also demand continuous, real-time monitoring of the human body. That’s why another Lithuanian company, SensoLife, is developing a wireless total L-amino acids sensor, Aminometer.
Together with ESA, the company has already successfully completed the first technological phase (TRL 3) of sensor development. The Aminometer is designed to require just a drop of blood, enabling astronauts to monitor muscle atrophy associated with weightlessness. It initially measures the total concentration of free amino acids circulating in blood, as abnormal levels of which can be used as a measure of muscle condition. Aminometer will thus be ideal for long missions to Mars, where optimal nutrition and effective physical workout techniques are essential.
"By engineering a rapid, calibration-free, disposable biosensor weighing less than 20 grams, we are addressing the physiological toll of microgravity, specifically muscle atrophy, in ways that were previously impossible for long-term missions," explains Dr. Marius Dagys, the CEO.
This isn't just about space exploration; to qualify for ESA funding, the technology must be suitable for dual-use. "The Aminometer, for example, could be an excellent tool for bodybuilders. By measuring the concentrations of amino acids before and after workouts, athletes can gain valuable insights into whether their exercise was optimal for muscle growth," adds Dr. Dagys.
Balancing nutrition for long-duration space missions
Yet even the most advanced diagnostics can only go so far without the right fuel: sustaining astronaut health over months or years in space ultimately depends on reliable, balanced nutrition tailored for life beyond Earth.
"Biotechnology is becoming crucial for space exploration due to long-haul missions, where we will be required to both grow and produce at least the majority of our food in space," says Laura Kaziukonienė, CEO of Geld Baltic.
While growing food on Mars would be a challenge, the biotech emerging from Lithuania has brought us a long way there. Geld Baltic's Super Garden brand specializes in food that will stay stable on the shelf for a long time, including powders and freeze-dried fruit "snacks" for astronauts that are easy to store and consume. Super Garden recently landed its first proprietary patent alongside ESA. The first phase of the project is complete, and ESA has approved three snack concepts.
"Our goal is to provide astronauts with complete, balanced nutrition that meets their individual requirements and supplies the body with necessary nutrients through food alone, without the need for additional supplements," adds Kaziukonienė. "Lithuania is already strong and well-recognized in the fields of lasers and small satellites. We also aim to become leaders in space nutrition. Historically, space food has been produced by NASA, while the field has remained underdeveloped in Europe. We have a unique opportunity to make a change, as our first project received exceptionally favorable evaluations and we have been invited to continue its development."
Together, these initiatives demonstrate how Lithuania is transforming its life sciences expertise into a crucial component of the global space economy. "By focusing on high-precision biotech solutions for health, nutrition, and radiation protection, the country is helping make long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars safer and more sustainable. In doing so, Lithuania is proving that even a small nation can play an outsized role in humanity’s next giant leap," concludes Sataite.
Connect with innovators from the Lithuanian space ecosystem in person this year at the following events:
- Space Tech Expo Europe: November 17-19, 2026, in Bremen, Germany.
- Space Comm Expo Europe: March 4-5, 2026, at ExCeL London.
- Space Symposium: April 13-16, 2026, at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, US.
