Purpose of the flight and payload description
The objective of the mission was to flight-test ALCHEMY, an autonomous pharmaceutical manufacturing module developed by Serendipity Space, a Bhubaneswar-based startup in India, for processing pharmaceutical compounds under microgravity conditions. The long-term goal is to perform autonomous pharmaceutical manufacturing and processing aboard satellites operating in low Earth orbit, followed by the return of the processed material to Earth.
Designed to operate continuously without human intervention and perform drug crystallisation during flight, the module was integrated into the companys orbital-class satellite prototype, shown at left. The system is designed to process small-molecule drugs and protein-based therapeutics.
The demonstration mission carried commercial monoclonal antibody therapeutics, small-molecule drugs, and additional proteins for drug-discovery research. ALCHEMY uses the microgravity conditions experienced during free fall from the stratosphere to reduce the effects of convection and sedimentation that occur during crystallisation on Earth, which can produce uneven crystal growth and structural defects. Under microgravity, crystals can grow more uniformly, allowing the system to investigate pharmaceutical crystal structures without altering the underlying chemistry of the compounds.
During the test flight, ALCHEMY operated as intended and performed its crystallisation processes. The resulting crystals remained intact during the controlled return, touchdown, and recovery of the vehicle. The mission also tested the satellite prototypes avionics and heatshield system, represented by the torus-shaped orange structure below the main module.
Footage released by the company about the test flight
Details of the balloon flight
Balloon launched on: 3/16/2026 at 22:04 UTC
Launch site: TIFR National Balloon Facility, Hyderabad, India
Balloon launched by: National Balloon Facility, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
Balloon manufacturer/size/composition: Zero Pressure Balloon
Flight identification number: 2136
End of flight (L for landing time, W for last contact, otherwise termination time): 3/17/2026 at 00:45 UTC
Balloon flight duration (F: time at float only, otherwise total flight time in d:days / h:hours or m:minutes - ): 2 h 40 m
Landing site: Near Kishanguda, Telangana, India
External references
Images of the mission
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