A classroom-to-space initiative linking Nevis to the international space research community is set to culminate in a suborbital rocket mission in May 2026.

The programme, led by Swiss-Nevisian scientist, Oliver Ullrich in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Nevis, has seen teachers and students on Nevis design and build real flight hardware for microgravity experiment.

The project follows earlier collaboration on the Space Genomics study, which examined how gravity influences gene expression. That research previously flew on a polar orbital mission under astronaut supervision.

This time, the same scientific question will be tested during a short, high-quality microgravity window abroad a suborbital sounding rocket operated by SSC Space. The launch is scheduled from the Esrange Space Center in Kiruna, Sweden.

As part of the initiative, a fully equipped cell biology laboratory has also been established on Nevis, allowing students to move from theory to hand-on laboratory practice and participation in real space missions.