BIOTESC explained

Swiss User Support and Operations Centre
Abbreviation:	BIOTESC
Headquarters:	Lucerne, Switzerland
Language:	English, German
Affiliations:	Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts
Num Staff:	< 20 people

BIOTESC (Biotechnology Space Support Center) is a space research centre working on behalf of the European Space Agency and attached to the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU). BIOTESC is specialized in space research and biotechnologies:.^[1] On behalf of the European Space Agency, the centre offers assistance for the preparation, execution and post-flight analysis of many space experiments generally related to biotechnologies or information technologies.

History

BIOTESC is part of the Space Biology Group, founded in 1977 at the ETH Zurich.^{[2] [3]}  In January 2013, the group moved to Lucerne University. They relocated from Zurich to Hergiswil, where they moved into their own building.^[4] In 2018 they relocated in another place but stayed in the same city.

Payloads and Experiments

On board the International Space Station BIOTESC is responsible for several payloads in the European module Columbus: the CIMON robot,^[5] AstroPi computers,^{[6] [7]} Kubik, an incubator for biological experiments, and the Biolab.^[8]

Several experiments on the ISS have been managed from the center as of 2021;^[9] including research on rotifer organisms and Arthrospira (Cyanobacterias)^{[10] [11]}

BIOTESC is one of the several ESA User Support and Operations Centers (USOCs) in Europe.^[12]

Notes and References

1. Web site: BIOTESC. 2021-06-18. lucerne-university-of-applied-sciences-and-arts. en.
2. Web site: 2004-12-13. ETH - Space Biology Group - BIOTESC. 2021-06-18. https://web.archive.org/web/20041213004313/http://www.spacebiol.ethz.ch/biotesc/index. 2004-12-13.
3. Web site: Control centres. 2021-06-18. www.esa.int. en.
4. Web site: 2015-05-12. BIOTESC Hochschule Luzern. 2021-06-18. https://web.archive.org/web/20150512025141/https://www.hslu.ch/de-ch/technik-architektur/forschung/kompetenzzentren/aerospace-biomedical-science-and-technology/biotesc/?sourceurl=/biotesc. 2015-05-12.
5. Web site: 2020-04-15. Tests mit CIMON: Direkter Draht von der Hochschule Luzern ins All. 2021-06-18. News Hub – Hochschule Luzern. de.
6. Web site: Die AstroPi Challenge 2017-18 ist gestartet. 2021-06-18. Hochschule-Luzern. 25 September 2017 . de-CH.
7. Web site: What is an Astro Pi ?. 2021-06-18. www.esa.int. en.
8. Web site: Infrastructure on board the International Space Station (ISS). 2021-06-18. lucerne-university-of-applied-sciences-and-arts. en.
9. Web site: Missions in Space. 2021-06-18. lucerne-university-of-applied-sciences-and-arts. en.
10. Web site: Rotifer in Space. 2021-06-18. Rotifer in space. en-US.
11. Web site: CyanoBakterien im Weltall – Das Projekt Arthorspira B ist gestartet. 2021-06-18. Hochschule-Luzern. 10 January 2018 . de-CH.
12. Web site: User Support and Operations Centres (USOCs). 2021-06-18. www.esa.int. en.