International Commercial Experiment Cubes
Facility Description
The ICF can accommodate payloads inside and outside. From plug-and-play commercial-off-the-shelf Experiment Cubes to various form factors or large customizable inserts, ICE Cubes provides the functional interfaces to the ISSInternational Space Station infrastructure for powering and controlling the payloads in real-time. During flight, users have the option of real-time telemetry and interaction capabilities with their experiment (through hardware and software security protocols) from any location with an Internet connection.
Why choose ICE Cubes as your Implementation Partner(Abbreviation: IP) Commercial companies that work with the ISS National Lab to provide services related to payload development, including the translation of ground-based science to a space-based platform.?
- ICE Cubes service customers are provided with an out-of-the-box software suite, which allows for real-time interaction capability at any time (24/7), and from any place with an Internet connection, via standard Internet protocols.
- The ICE Cubes service is a platform-independent space-access provider for research, technology, and education.
- ICE Cubes allows for accommodating and controlling payloads free floating in the Columbus module with wireless connection to the ICE Cubes Facility, allowing to test technologies for guidance & navigation algorithms, collision avoidance, formation flying, docking & berthing mechanisms, capturing of non-cooperative bodies, sloshing, etc.
High data rate (4 Mbps downlink, 0.5 Mbps uplink), high data storage capability and high power capability. - Establishment of specific diagnostic capabilities for focus R&D areas such as in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, food, cosmetics, soft matter & coating fields, among others.
The Experiment Cubes are easy to install and remove, come in different shapes and sizes, and can be built using commercial off-the-shelf components. - The Service can accommodate experiments under recurring setups, in reusable payloads, like the ScienceCube (i.e., a multi-use cube for plant, microbiology, fluid physics research and more) or the Kirara incubator (for protein and macromolecule crystallization).
- The Service can also provide access to in-house developed assets hosted on the ISS, such as the AI-Box (for in-situ data processing and analysis, running neural networks, AI/ML applications using environmental data, or processing of data generated by other payloads) or the Media Set (for interaction with ISS crew, public events, media interviews, educational sessions, etc.).
Availability:The general availability status of the facility. Please contact the facility manager
ISS Environment:The facility location (internal or external to the ISS.) Internal
Owner:The entity that owns the facility. Aerospace Applications North America
Operator/Implementation Partner:The entity or ISS National Lab Implementation Partner that operates the facility.
ICE Cubes by Aerospace Applications North America, Inc.
Developer(s):The entity, or entities, that developed the facility.
Aerospace Applications North America
Facility Manager:The name of the facility manager and their organization.
Matthew Souris
Manager Email:The facility manager's email address.
msouris@aerospaceapplicaitons-na.com
Parent Facility:Any facility that is necessary to operate the facility described on this webpage. i.e., a parent facility is one level higher in the operational hierarachy. ESA Rack
Child Facility:Facilities that can be operated within the facility described on this webpage.
Sponsoring Space Agency:The government space agency that sponsors investigations that use the facility. NASA
Equipment Category:"The facility's ISS National Lab equipment designation type. Designations include:
1. ISS National Lab Commercial Service Provider (CSP) Facility
2. Support Hardware
3. Capability Capability
Additional Information:Additional resources to learn more about the facility.
Readily available Cubes
- Kirara crystallization (5 successful missions) – (USP3) On-orbit protein and macromolecule crystallization service (through partnership with JAMSS).
- ScienceCube (3 successful missions) – Multi-use cube for plant, microbiology, fluid physics research and more.
- Media Set (>80 events) – (USP4) ISS communication service. Live / recorded sessions with audience on ground.
- AI-Box (1 successful mission) – (USP5) AI/ML capabilities. In-situ data processing and connectivity to other cubes.
- Mini-Calliope (1 successful mission) – Easy programming. STEAM activities / Testbed.
- ScienceBox (1 successful mission) – Cuvettes box for 100 samples / temperature conditioning
- Greenhouse (1 successful mission) – Greenhouse with capability of germinating seeds and growing plants.
Over 30 missions and experiments have been successfully flown and/or operated using the ICF. Research focus and areas of investigation include protein crystallization, drug R&D, health research, plant biology, physiology and human spaceflight, technology IOD/IOV, fluid physics, cybersecurity, AI/ML server (permanently hosted inside the ICF) and applications, a media set that allows direct interaction between the user and the astronauts on a commercial basis, STEAM activities and interactive artworks.
In addition to the Experiment Cubes flown until now, other currently funded / under development initiatives include a platform to support microfluidic organ-on-a-chip devices, a magneto-acoustic 3D bioprinter, a multi-user platform to culture tumors, organoids, & spheroids for high-throughput drug screening on ISS, a cube dedicated to cell biology, a greenhouse platform, and an upgraded Media Set allowing use in other locations and for 2-way video.
Find More About us Links
What is ICE Cubes?
- Our website
- ICE Cubes – LinkedIn
- Aerospace Applications North America (US) – LinkedIn
- Space Applications Services (Europe) – LinkedIn
Video Links
A quick video introduction to ICE Cubes
Axiom Mission videos and information:
Our Media Set allows for real-time interactive events with the crew for educational, outreach, PR and other VIP events (used extensively during the Axiom-1 / -2 and -3 missions, see https://vimeo.com/724817538 or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xlpfl62UyDA as well as https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmcIkKKb1y4.
Kirara Protein Crystallization Videos and Information:
ICE Cubes Educational activities and projects: