Space applications and innovations
Accelerating the development of health applications and innovations through space research
Returning to the Moon and preparing for future Mars missions requires innovation, including in space medicine. This implies new challenges that also accelerate the pace of health innovations for terrestrial applications.
The innovation themes targeted by MEDES are digital health, medical monitoring devices, prevention and care in isolated or extreme situations, life support or environmental control technologies (in particular for microbial control), and more generally, support for medical research or R&D activities, using space-based simulation models or the unique properties of the space environment.
The medical autonomy of the crew is one of the major challenges of manned space exploration. With its partners, MEDES is working on solutions such as digital health assistants, expert systems, digital twins, modelling tools, etc.
The space sector is currently expanding rapidly. New Space is promoting the emergence of new space-based products or services with a strong potential for many sectors, in particular for health. MEDES provides support to CNES and health stakeholders to unlock synergies and accelerate health innovations.
More generally, MEDES supports health players through co-innovations linking space and health on themes that can benefit from the opportunities offered by the space sector, in particular for digital health or 5P medicine, medical devices or health monitoring.
Digital health
Les contre-mesures et dispositifs médicaux
La recherche médicale et les activités de R&D
Digital health
A MEDES team is seconded to CADMOS (Centre d’Aide au Développement des Activités en Micropesanteur et des Opérations Spatiales), a centre created by CNES in 1993 to prepare, organise and control French manned space missions.
The MEDES teams provide expertise in space medicine and physiology and support the preparation of experiments on the ISS in these fields, which require a microgravity environment.
For these experiments, the team:
- supervises the development of the equipment and liaises with the scientific teams
- drafts procedures
- works with scientists to take pre- and post-flight measurements on astronauts
- trains astronauts (in experiment protocols for the flight)
- handles real-time operations at the CADMOS control centre
Countermeasures and medical devices
Future space exploration missions require new means of prevention, but also new medical devices, sensors or other technologies to contribute to the medical autonomy of future crews. Further innovations are also needed for life support and environmental control in confined environments.
The objective for MEDES is to initiate and accelerate co-innovations linking space and health, by identifying and accelerating technologies with significant potential for terrestrial application while also meeting the challenges of space medicine.
Medical research and R&D activities
MEDES is involved in activities using space simulation models or the space environment for R&D activities in the field of medical research or for applications in biotechnology, nutrition or pharmaceutics.
MEDES is thus involved in European projects on these themes and is positioning itself as a key French player supporting innovation in the field of bioproduction (biotechnologies/pharmaceuticals/cosmetics/nutrition) by submitting industrial R&D projects to be undertaken in microgravity (private platforms on the ISS or mini satellites).
The ConnectbyCnes programme offers more insight into the services it offers with the NewSpacerendezous, a campaign consisting of 3 series of podcasts to present French NewSpace and to identify the players and their specific activities in order to support this ecosystem!
Podcast number 4 focuses on MEDES:
here : MEDES Podcast health
MEDES support for ConnectByCnes
Key mission: to bring space and health closer together
As the health subsidiary of CNES, MEDES employs its expertise and know-how in Health for the Connect By CNES programme.
MEDES helps to identify the needs of the health sector and the possible contributions of the space sector, to stimulate links between the 2 sectors and to support pilot projects, evaluations or maturing phases to improve or introduce new products or services in health by using space technologies, services or data.
Active in both the health and space sectors, MEDES promotes co-innovation and the exploitation of the results of this cross-fertilisation for terrestrial applications.
Our projects
2020 - in progress
The ICOPE programme aims to preserve the capacities of the elderly by identifying early signs of frailty and offering solutions to address them. The intention is that by taking charge of their health, all seniors can preserve their independence for longer and delay becoming dependent.
2020 - in progress
A technological demonstrator of an expert system to provide decision support for astronaut health.
2017 - in progress
Everywear is a software solution for medical and nutritional monitoring of astronauts, in the form of a touch-sensitive tablet coupled to a set of biomedical sensors.
- in progress
Stimulation of commercial activities in Low Earth Orbit in the field of life sciences
2019-2021
The aim of the TiChron project was to develop tools to improve the overall management of children with chronic diseases.
