1 billion kilometres and counting: NASA's Cold Atom Lab soars through space

Since its launch in 2018, NASA's Cold Atom Lab, the first-ever quantum physics facility aboard the International Space Station (ISS), has journeyed an estimated 1 billion kilometres in space - that's about the average distance from the Earth to Saturn - the agency tweeted on Friday.

We have a very cool update: Since its launch to @Space_Station, NASA's Cold Atom Lab has traveled over roughly 1 BILLION kilometers in space! That's about the average distance from the Earth to Saturn!Learn how we use CAL to conduct quantum science: https://t.co/WvzX1QCa22 pic.twitter.com/0FN0xyRlGg

— NASA Space Science (@NASASpaceSci) December 23, 2022

About the size of a mini-fridge, this facility utilizes lasers to chill atoms to a temperature just above absolute zero. When these atoms reach this extremely cold temperature, they may form the fifth state of matter known as a Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC). This is different from gasses, liquids, solids and plasmas, and it makes the quantum properties of atoms visible to the naked eye.

Cold Atom Lab's main objective is to take advantage of the microgravity environment to explore new possibilities in the realm of atomic physics and quantum science. The facility was the first to create BECs in Earth's orbit.

In 2020, the Cold Atom Lab was upgraded with new capabilities. The effort proved that such maintenance could be done without having to bring the laboratory back to Earth.

In 2021, the facility was upgraded with mixed reality to examine whether the technology could help with repairs and upgrades on the cutting-edge facility. The astronauts successfully tested a Microsoft HoloLens, a mixed reality (also known as augmented reality, or AR) headset. This was the first time a mixed reality headset was used to improve the live interaction between an astronaut and engineers on Earth. It also marked the first use of mixed reality to repair a science experiment on the station.

Plans are underway for a series of additional upgrades to the facility in the coming years.