By 
August 21st, 2025
Image credit: Ivan Timoshenko
Russia’s Bion-M No. 2 – a unique biosatellite including 75 mice – rocketed skyward from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
This “Noah’s Ark” of space also carries 1,000 fruit flies, cell cultures, microorganisms, plant seeds, and other items.
Russia’s Soyuz 2.1a booster was used to propel the Bion-M No. 2 into a nearly circular orbit at an inclination of roughly 97 degrees, a pole-to-pole orbit, remaining in space for 30 days.
According to a posting by Roscosmos, “telemetry data received today…the spacecraft is operating normally, and all living organisms have successfully begun their journey in space.”
Image credit: Roscosmos
Years of work
The mission is underway via the joint efforts of Roscosmos, the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
“Years of intense work in the scientific laboratories of the institutes and the production shops of the Progress Rocket Space Center went into preparing this project,” Roscosmos adds.
For the first time in history, the Roscosmos communiqué notes, “such a spacecraft has been launched into a sun-synchronous orbit with an inclination of about 97 degrees. We are confident that the implementation of all planned scientific experiments will provide invaluable knowledge that will contribute to the further exploration of space by humans.”
Pre-liftoff image shows technician with biosatellite experiments.
Image credit: Roscosmos
30-day mission
At the end of the 30 day mission, Bion-M No. 2’s menagerie of specimens will parachute back to a Russian landing zone, touching down in the steppes of the Orenburg Region.
That orbit taken by Bion-M No. 2 will increase the level of cosmic radiation by at least an order of magnitude compared to that on the Bion-M No. 1 spacecraft launched back in April 2013, placed in a different orbit and also flying for 30 days.
10 sections
The scientific program of experiments and research consists of 10 sections.
According to the Institute of Biomedical Problems (IBMP) of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the first and second sections are devoted to experimental studies of gravitational physiology on animals, to help create new technologies for ensuring human life support during flights under the combined effects of weightlessness and cosmic radiation.
Bion-M No. 2 being readied for launch.
Image credit: Roscosmos
The third, fourth and fifth sections are devoted to studies of the influence of space flight and outer space factors on the biology of plants and microorganisms, as well as their communities, i.e. understanding the general patterns of life in the Universe.
The sixth, eighth and ninth sections include biotechnological, technological, physical and technical experiments.
The seventh section is a complex of radiobiological and dosimetric experiments necessary to solve the problems of ensuring radiation safety of new crewed spacecraft.
The tenth section includes experiments prepared by students from various schools of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus.
Image credit: Roscosmos
Posted in Space News
