ICE Cubes Service
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| Industry | Aerospace |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2017 |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | Global |
| Services | Space access for research & technology; Microgravity payload integration. |
| Owner | Space Applications Services |
| Website | www |
The International Commercial Experiment Cubes or ICE Cubes Service provides access to space for research, technology or education.[1]
The service allows any public or private entity to run their experiments on the International Space Station and to access space conditions in their experiment cubes.[2]
Launches take place typically three or four times per year, and roughly 1 year after the initial ideation. [3]
Potential fields of research range from pharmaceutical development, microbiology, stem cells, radiation, to materials, 3D printing, fluid sciences, and more.[4] The service also allows to demonstrate and validate technologies in a true space environment to help elevate technologies market readiness. Researchers have permanent live remote access to their payloads. They can connect to their experiment from any location via internet to directly read data and send commands.[5]
ICE Cubes Service stems from a partnership between Space Applications Services and the European Space Agency (ESA). [6]
History
The first experiments were launched on the SpaceX Dragon supply vessel and then installed by ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst in 2018 and included projects provided by the International Space University and developed as results of international collaborations.[7]
The first cube housed a research experiment on methane-producing microorganisms to investigate their behavior in microgravity conditions. Researchers hope these microorganisms could be used for biomining of asteroids to produce methane to fuel future space missions.[9]
The second International Space University cube was an interactive art installation. The artistic cube contained a kaleidoscope linked to an installation on the ground that was activated by the heart pulse of participants. The images produced by the device were then sent down to the ground installation on Earth and displayed in real-time.[10]
Successive experiments regarded plant germination[11], demonstration of spectroscopic diagnostics[12] and recovery of cybersecurity functions on commercial electronics in space[13]
In March 2019 Aerospace Applications North America, Inc. started to offer the ICE Cubes Service in the United States and is now active also as Implementation Partner to the International Space Station United States National Laboratory.[14]
The ICE Cubes facility on the ISS
The ICE Cubes facility houses modular experiments and is the first European commercial research facility on the ISS.[16][17] In June 2018, NASA astronaut Ricky Arnold installed the facility hosting a sliding framework in the Columbus laboratory. The ICE Cubes facility is provided with power, temperature regulation and communications directly from the European Columbus module of the space station.[18]
ICE Cube experiments can be built with ‘commercial off-the-shelf’ products and be integrated together to permit larger experiments. The facility hosts ‘plug-and-play’ 10 cm (1U) experiment cubes or combinations of this volume. The sliding framework can host up to 12 cubes on top and two rows of four cubes below. The experiment cubes can also float freely through the module.[19]
ICE Cubes projects only need to be plugged and can be launched quicker compared to traditional space flights and at a significantly lower cost.[20]
References
- ^ http://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Videos/2018/07/Horizons_science_installing_ICE_Cubes
- ^ http://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Videos/2018/07/Horizons_science_installing_ICE_Cubes
- ^ https://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Research/ICE_Cubes_space_research_service_open_for_business
- ^ https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7126
- ^ http://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Videos/2018/07/Horizons_science_installing_ICE_Cubes
- ^ https://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2019/01/Floating_ice
- ^ https://www.isunet.edu/news/hydras-go-to-space-two-isu-payloads-launch-to-the-international-space-station/561
- ^ https://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Research/Access_your_space_experiment_anywhere_with_ICE_Cubes
- ^ https://www.isunet.edu/news/hydras-go-to-space-two-isu-payloads-launch-to-the-international-space-station/561
- ^ https://www.isunet.edu/news/hydras-go-to-space-two-isu-payloads-launch-to-the-international-space-station/561
- ^ http://isunet.edu/news/isu-s-hydra-1-experiment-launched-to-iss/599
- ^ https://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2019/05/Exobiology_in_a_box
- ^ https://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2019/07/Cryptography_ICE_Cube_experiment
- ^ https://www.issnationallab.org/implementation-partners/
- ^ https://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2017/06/Experiment_cube
- ^ https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7126
- ^ https://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2019/01/Floating_ice
- ^ https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7126
- ^ https://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Research/ICE_Cubes_space_research_service_open_for_business
- ^ https://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2017/06/Experiment_cube