Qualification and Validation Ground Tests for a Multiple Payload aboard Miura 1 rocket

Scientific payloads preparation and testing is an expensive and technically challenging task. Suborbital spaceflights provide a unique opportunity for researchers to test their scientific experiments and gather data at low costs with rapid turnaround times. The purpose of this study is to provide a benchmark of the testing process for several demanding scientific payloads planned aboard PLD Space's MIURA-1 rocket in 2022. The initial research conducted in the development and integration of the proposed experiments highlights the complexities and challenges of this demanding setup of experimental payloads, which will allow prospective researchers to optimize their protocols and minimize unforeseen incidents during suborbital flights. The first payload consists of the Magneto-Active Propellant Management Device (MAPMD) used as a proof-of-concept to demonstrate the slosh-suppression effectiveness of the device under continuous microgravity for about 4 minutes which has been tested in lab settings under 1g conditions. A dual telemetry package payload will be housed with a redundant suite of sensors to monitor and characterize the environment inside the rocket’s payload compartment. Another experiment is comprised of a bio-printing technology targeted to recreate the 3D tumor microenvironment consisting of aggressive phenotypes of breast and colon cancer cells surrounded by the endothelial cells layer. The goal of this experiment is to test cell behavior under various flight stressors and investigate whether these manipulations force cells to migrate faster through the endothelial barrier leading to an acquisition of more distinctive characteristics than compared to ground controls.