Sometimes, science surprises us in the smallest places. During routine sampling aboard the Tiangong Space Station, researchers discovered something unexpected — a brand-new species of bacteria, quietly thriving in orbit.

Discovery During Shenzhou 15 Mission

Chinese researchers have named the new bacterial species Niallia tiangongensis. The microbe was found in surface samples from the Tiangong Space Station. These samples were obtained when the Shenzhou 15 mission returned from Earth in June 2023. The discovery was recently reported in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology.

The microbe is characterised as aerobic, spore-forming and rod-shaped. It is the first time a new microbial species has been isolated on board Tiangong, China’s low Earth orbit space station consisting of three modules.