MERCAP Microgravity Experiment Re-entry Capsule
Independence-X Aerospace
Recoverable unmanned re-entry capsule for retrieving microgravity experiment specimens — purpose-built for Lab-on-a-Chip pharma and biotech payloads up to 4 kg from 500–600 km LEO. US$1.5M per mission.
Key figurescomparable across the catalogue
- Payload capacity
- 4 kg
Normalised to common units so this product can be compared with others in its category. The supplier's own wording is below.
As published by the supplier
- Capsule type
- Unmanned recoverable re-entry capsule
- Primary payload
- Lab-on-a-Chip pharma and biotech experiment specimens
- Maximum payload mass
- 4 kg
- Operational orbit
- 500–600 km LEO
- Service price
- US$1.5 million (launch and recovery, end-to-end)
- Recovery method
- Guided re-entry and land recovery
- First launch partner
- Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)
- Future launch vehicle
- Independence-X DNLV (when commercially available)
- HQ
- Seremban, Malaysia
About
The MERCAP (Microgravity Experiment Re-entry Capsule) is Independence-X Aerospace’s commercial service for conducting and retrieving microgravity experiments from low Earth orbit. The capsule flies pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and materials science experiments in the unique microgravity environment of space, then safely de-orbits and lands the specimens for post-flight analysis.
MERCAP is specifically engineered around Lab-on-a-Chip (LoC) technology — miniaturized analytical devices that replicate laboratory functions at the microscale. These chips are ideally suited to space experiments because they require minimal volume and mass, yet can perform complex biochemical assays, cell culture, protein crystallization, and drug formulation processes that behave fundamentally differently under microgravity. Independence-X positions MERCAP as the first commercial capsule purpose-built for LoC-based pharma and biotech specimen retrieval from orbit.
The capsule operates in a 500–600 km low Earth orbit, providing a controlled thermal and vibration environment during the experiment phase before executing a guided re-entry and recovery sequence. The service is available as a complete end-to-end offering: Independence-X manages launch, on-orbit operations, re-entry, recovery, and specimen handover, removing the technical burden from customers who are domain experts but not spaceflight operators.
The first MERCAP launch was conducted in partnership with Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) as part of ongoing efforts to develop domestic Malaysian space capabilities. Future MERCAP flights are intended to fly aboard IDXA’s own DNLV vehicle once it achieves commercial readiness, enabling fully indigenous Malaysian end-to-end space transportation.
Documentation
No public datasheet yet — request the datasheet / ICD from the supplier.