Planetary Protection
Satellite missions to visit other bodies in the solar
system (such as the Moon, Mars and asteroids) require sterilisation
to ensure that no biological contamination of those bodies with
bacteria from the Earth takes place. Those missions that
bring samples back to the Earth must also be guaranteed to have
been sterilised in order to preserve the integrity of the
samples.
Isotron offers sterilisation services by irradiation so that
missions may comply with the COSPAR policy for planetary
protection. Backed up by our microbiological laboratory
facilities, this ensures that bioburden levels are low enough to
meet all associated obligations and to maximise the chances of
scientific success.