AGH Lunar-Technologies takes part in a parabolic flight campaign

A group of young people in matching t-shirts in a purple-lit room.

The CAPYBARA team. Photograph: Patryk Kuszyński, AGH University Student Photo Agency (KSAF)

07/15/2026

A student team from AGH Lunar-Technologies, a student research club based at the Faculty of Space Technologies, will carry out an experiment called CAPYBARA during a series of parabolic flight campaigns organised with the support of the European Space Agency’s Education Office. The students will seek to answer the question of how liquids behave in microgravity. Research carried out under these unusual conditions may contribute to the development of new technologies for use in future space missions, ranging from fuel supply systems to life support for astronauts.

The CAPYBARA project, or Capillary Absorption and Permeation in Biomimetic Additive Research for Aerospace, has been selected as part of the ESA Academy Experiments Programme and will be carried out during a parabolic flight campaign organised with the support of the European Space Agency’s Education Office in November 2026. Parabolic flights provide brief periods of microgravity, creating unique conditions for conducting research that cannot be performed under normal Earth gravity.

“The aim of the project is to investigate the capillary effect under microgravity conditions. This phenomenon is responsible for the movement of liquids through narrow spaces without the influence of external forces. It occurs widely in nature, including in the transport of water within plants, and is used across numerous technical applications. It plays a particularly important role in the space sector, where precise control of fluid behaviour is essential for a wide range of applications, including propellant management and fuel delivery, thermal control systems, life support systems, as well as plant watering,” explains Filip Wylęgała, technical coordinator of the project in AGH Lunar-Technologies and a doctoral student at the AGH Doctoral School.

The main hypothesis guiding the experiment is that the absence of gravity will enable a cleaner and more controlled investigation of capillary transport by removing hydrostatic constraints.

The team will investigate spreading within porous structures known as Triply Periodic Minimal Surfaces (TPMS), which are fully self-designed and manufactured using MSLA resin 3D printing. TPMS are characterised by a continuous pore network, a high surface-to-volume ratio, and fully tuneable porosity, making them ideal candidates for studying capillary transport.

Two key parameters of capillary action under microgravity will be investigated. The first is the flow rate: how quickly the liquid moves. This will be determined by measuring the absorption rate and tracking the fluid front position from camera footage. The second is the liquid rise height: how much liquid the structure can take up. This will be assessed through measurements of filling time and dye penetration depth. The team will also examine the effectiveness of various TPMS geometries to identify the most efficient ones.

“The experiment will involve controlled and slow dispensing of liquid into capillary structures using syringes during each parabolic flight. The entire system will be programmed and controlled by a miniature Raspberry Pi computer, under the watchful eye of operators who swap the racks containing capillary samples. The experiment will be recorded using cameras, allowing for analysis of fluid transport within the structures. The entire structure will be enclosed in a sealed aluminium casing, which will protect against any unwanted spillage," explains Filip Wylęgała.

Photographs: CAPYBARA team

Transparent tube with purple liquid in a petri dish. — Capillary structures absorbing a coloured liquid.

Experiment set-up with a number of test tubes filled with liquid. — Preliminary experiment set-up.

The team plans to test several hundred samples across all parabolic flights onboard the Airbus A310 AirZeroG, ensuring the highest possible repeatability and statistical significance of the results. This experiment may provide valuable data to help shape future strategies for managing liquids in the space environment.

“Taking part in the programme organised with the support of the ESA's Education Office is not only an opportunity for AGH University students to carry out their own research project, but also a great honour and a chance to gain experience within an international space community. By working on the experiment and carrying it out during the parabolic flight campaign, the team will have developed their research skills in collaboration with experts from the space sector, gaining practical experience in conducting advanced research under microgravity conditions,” emphasises Professor Tadeusz Uhl, Dean of the Faculty of Space Technologies and project supervisor.

For more information on the ESA Academy Experiments Programme, visit the ESA’s website.