Chinese scientists have discovered a new strain of bacteria aboard the country’s Tiangong Space Station. They have named it Niallia tiangongensis, after it was collected in May 2023 on a bacteria-free cloth. The bacteria existed in microgravity conditions.
Scientists found that Niallia tiangongensis is most closely related to the soil-dwelling Niallia circulans bacteria. Studying how it adapts to the space environment may help with research in fields like aviation, medical care, agriculture and industry. Research into the microorganism could be essential for protecting astronaut health and spacecraft functionality over long-duration missions, scientists said.
The new microbe is an aerobic, spore-forming and rod-shaped bacteria, according to its description in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, published in March 2025. The organism has adapted to survive in the extremes of the space environment, the study said.
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