20th Conference on Space Biology and Aerospace Medicine — Bion-M No. 2, 2026

About the event

The 20th Conference on Space Biology and Aerospace Medicine with international participation is scheduled for 27–29 October 2026 in Moscow. Its central theme is the key findings of the Bion-M No. 2 project and their role in the safety of future interplanetary flights. The conference will use a hybrid format, with in-person sessions and videoconferencing.

The scientific programme examines how spaceflight conditions affect living organisms and biological systems. Bion-M No. 2 flew in a polar orbit, an environment relevant to preparing for long missions beyond near-Earth space. Its research programme included 29 experiments; conference participants are to discuss their results and scientific implications.

Programme areas include responses in animals and cell cultures, from brain function and behaviour to metabolism, immunity, bones, cardiovascular and respiratory function, and reproduction. Other topics cover plants and microorganisms, exobiology and astrobiology, and molecular and cellular mechanisms through which spaceflight factors affect living systems.

Further sessions address radiation conditions in high-latitude orbit, both inside and outside the spacecraft, as well as physical and technical experiments and educational research. This mix of biological, medical and engineering questions makes it possible to consider the flight environment from several perspectives and relate the findings to medical support for future crewed missions.

The conference provides a setting for scientific discussion of space research and its relevance to aerospace medicine. Its subjects will interest researchers working in biological experiments, physiology, radiation effects, space technology and long-duration flight safety. The videoconference option extends participation beyond those attending at the Moscow venue.

In-person sessions are scheduled at the State Research Center of the Russian Federation, Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences: 76A Khoroshevskoye Highway, Building 10, Moscow. The institute is about a five-minute walk from Polezhaevskaya metro station. The three-day conference runs from 27 to 29 October, with the scientific programme spanning all three days.