Huntsville firm helped launch space microscope that could help ID alien life

Published On: July 22, 2025

A Huntsville company helped stage experiments on the International Space Station that could aid in the search for life beyond Earth.

Teledyne Brown Engineering recently announced the successful conclusion of the Extant Life Volumetric Imaging System (ELVIS) project, a holographic microscope made to study microbial life in microgravity. Developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Portland State University, ELVIS launched to the ISS aboard a SpaceX Dragon rocket in April, and its samples returned to Earth for analysis last month.

TBE performed implementation work for the microscope system, including launch vehicle and ISS integration and verification, engineering and design assistance, and interface and safety test support, the company said in a news release.

“The ELVIS mission represents a major leap forward in our ability to study life in space,” said Scott Hall, TBE president. “We are proud to have played a key role in enabling this innovative research, which will deepen our understanding of cellular life beyond Earth.”

The ELVIS experiment focused on two resilient life forms: a microalga and a bacterium that thrives in frigid ocean waters. Samples of each and their genetic adaptations to microgravity were observed,

according to PSU researchers

ELVIS delivers detailed 3D views of cellular life, allowing scientists to study the adaptability and resilience of life under extreme conditions, according to the Florida-based ISS National Laboratory. The findings could reveal how life might persist on distant, frigid moons, including Jupiter’s Europa and Saturn’s Enceladus.

ELVIS incorporates durable, low-maintenance components and features automation that minimizes astronaut involvement, ensuring experiments ran continuously without disruption,

according to JPL