Floating ice

The ICE Cubes model is part of a growing commercial trend in space exploration. Missions to Low Earth Orbit, the Moon and beyond are being planned not only in cooperation with international space agencies but also with industry partners as the space share-economy develops. This more sustainable approach drives down the cost, allowing for more missions overall.

ICE Cubes experiments highlight the versatility of this easier, faster and more affordable access to research in weightlessness, ensuring any company, organisation or educational institution can be a part of orbital research for years to come.

Through the ICE Cubes Service, SpaceApps provides fast, direct and affordable access to space for research, technology and education, on a commercial basis. The end-to-end service facilitates a frequent and regular ‘launch-and-return’ capability to/from the International Space Station, and offers a unique real-time interaction capability. To date (March 2025), over 35 payloads, devices and experiments have been successfully flown to the ISS, and operated on board the station. Key markets include health and life sciences, materials, agrifood, and technology.

The ICE Cubes Facility, located in the European Columbus laboratory of the International Space Station (ISS), is a commercial research platform that enables  experiments in microgravity, through an innovative “plug-and-play” approach. Launched in 2018 Space Application Services, in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA), the platform hosts research payloads (experiment cubes) of various sizes, equipped with data and power connections, allowing remote monitoring and control via a dedicated ground interface.

Access the early ESA articles in the links below. Make sure to explore our journal to learn more about projects and missions support.