2020
Space milestones
ColKa heads for the ISS
The ColKa communications terminal, developed by Kayser Italia under contract to ESA, is launched on 15 February aboard Cygnus NG-13. The system is designed to enhance the data link between the Columbus laboratory and Earth, increasing the capacity to transfer scientific and operational information.
Crew Dragon takes astronauts to the ISS
Demo-2 is Crew Dragon’s first crewed flight and marks the return of astronaut launches from US soil after the conclusion of the Space Shuttle programme. The mission opens a new phase in commercial crew transport to the International Space Station.
Missions & Payloads
Cygnus NG-13
Cargo mission to the International Space Station. It transports experiments, supplies and hardware. After separating from the station, it continues with further experimental activities and CubeSat deployment.
COLKA
Ka-band telecommunications terminal designed to connect the Columbus laboratory to the geostationary satellites of the European Data Relay System. The name derives from Columbus Ka-band Terminal. It enables scientific data to be transferred to Earth at speeds of up to approximately 50 Mbit/s downlink and 2 Mbit/s uplink. It is launched on Cygnus NG-13 on 15 February 2020 and temporarily stored inside the ISS. In January 2021, it is installed outside Columbus during an extravehicular activity. Kayser handles the terminal’s support structure and mechanical and thermal integration, also providing operational support during external installation.
Rotifer B2
Biological experiment that reaches the ISS on SpaceX CRS-21 in December 2020. Sixteen experimental containers are placed in the KUBIK-5 and KUBIK-6 incubators. At the end of the campaign, the samples are frozen and returned to Earth in January 2021. The ROTIFER-B facility hardware is built by Kayser Italia.
SpaceX CRS-21
First cargo mission of the new-generation Dragon under the Commercial Resupply Services 2 contract. It transports experiments, supplies and hardware to the ISS and returns scientific samples to Earth.
BioAsteroid
Space biomining experiment dedicated to studying the ability of bacteria and fungi to extract elements from asteroidal material in microgravity. It uses mini-bioreactors containing L-type chondritic meteorite fragments and cultures of the microorganisms Sphingomonas desiccabilis and Penicillium simplicissimum. The first commercial experiment of ESA and Kayser’s Bioreactor Express service, it is launched on SpaceX CRS-21 on 6 December 2020 and incubated in KUBIK. The samples are subsequently analysed on Earth.