/

Space Station gets its first espresso machine – the ISSpresso

The Italian Space Agency, Italian engineering company Argotec, and coffee company Lavazza have collaborated to bring cafe-style coffee to space, with a microwave-size capsule-based espresso coffee maker for the International Space Station – dubbed the ISSpresso

Argotec’s David Avino describes the machine as “a food laboratory” that might eventually also produce gourmet soups in micro-gravity.

Making coffee in space is difficult, as coffee from an Earth-based machine would form droplets and float away rather than drip into the cup.

The ISSpresso takes water from a pouch and pumps it round the machine through a capsule of coffee and into another pouch which the astronauts can drink from using a straw.

Argotec have been working on the design since 2012, according to The Guardian, after Italian astronaut, Luca Parmitano, complained that he missed his coffee on the Space Station.

Bill Condie

Bill Condie

Bill Condie is a science journalist based in Adelaide, Australia.

Read science facts, not fiction...

There’s never been a more important time to explain the facts, cherish evidence-based knowledge and to showcase the latest scientific, technological and engineering breakthroughs. Cosmos is published by The Royal Institution of Australia, a charity dedicated to connecting people with the world of science. Financial contributions, however big or small, help us provide access to trusted science information at a time when the world needs it most. Please support us by making a donation or purchasing a subscription today.