ICE Cubes Service
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| Industry | Space science |
|---|---|
| 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 is a commercial company that offers access to space for research, technology or education.[1][2]
The service allows public or private entities to run their experiments on the interior of the International Space Station for access to microgravity.[1] Examples of potential fields of research include pharmaceutical development, microbiology, stem cells, radiation, materials science, 3D printing, fluid sciences and art.[3] The service also allows to demonstrate and validate technologies in microgravity.
Overview
ICE Cubes Service stems from a commercial agreement between Space Applications Services and the European Space Agency (ESA).[4] The ICE Cubes facility is the first European commercial research facility in the interior of the ISS.[3][4] It was installed in June 2018 and it houses modular experiments on different disciplines. Researchers have continuous live remote access to their payloads via Internet to directly read data and send commands.[1]
Launches take place typically three or four times per year, and roughly one year after the initial ideation.[5]
History
The ICE Cubes facility houses modular experiments and is the first European commercial research facility in the interior of the ISS.[3][4] In June 2018, NASA astronaut Ricky Arnold installed the facility hosting a sliding framework in the European Columbus module. The first experiments were launched on the SpaceX Dragon supply vessel and then installed by ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst in 2018, It included projects provided by the International Space University and international collaborators.[6]
The first cube housed a research experiment on methane-producing microorganisms to investigate their activity in microgravity conditions. Researchers hope these microorganisms could be used for biomining of asteroids to produce methane to fuel future space missions.[6]
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.[6]
Successive experiments studied some aspects of plant germination,[8] demonstration of spectroscopic diagnostics[9] and recovery of cybersecurity functions on commercial electronics in space.[10]
In March 2019, ICE Cubes became an implementation partner at the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS),[12][13] a non-profit organization that manages the ISS United States National Laboratory.
In October 2019, UK Science Minister Chris Skidmore announced the launch by the UK Space Agency of a contest to identity and match-fund business ideas taking advantage of space. ICE Cubes was chosen as one of the host for the launch of the selected projects.[14]
The ICE Cubes facility in the ISS
The ICE Cubes facility is provided with power, temperature regulation and communications.[3] 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.[11] 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.[5]
References
- ^ a b c "Horizons science: Installing ICE Cubes".
- ^ https://spacewatch.global/2019/10/spacewatchgl-oped-the-leo-economy-an-emerging-opportunity/
- ^ a b c d "Science Launching to Space Station Looks Forward and Back".
- ^ a b c "Floating ice".
- ^ a b "ICE Cubes space research service open for business".
- ^ a b c "Hydras go to Space - Two ISU payloads launch to the International Space Station". 2018-07-05.
- ^ "Access your space experiment anywhere with ICE Cubes".
- ^ "ISU's Hydra-1 Experiment Launched to the International Space Station". 2018-12-06.
- ^ "Exobiology in a box".
- ^ "Cryptography ICE Cube experiment".
- ^ a b "Experiment cube".
- ^ https://spacewatch.global/2019/09/16109/
- ^ https://www.issnationallab.org/implementation-partners/
- ^ https://www.gov.uk/government/news/competition-to-find-business-ideas-that-are-out-of-this-world