ICE Cubes · Project

Affordable Plug-and-Play Access to the International Space Station for Your Experiments

otherMarket-readyTRL 8

Imagine you want to test how your product behaves in zero gravity — maybe a new drug formula or a material. Until now, getting anything onto the International Space Station cost millions and took years of paperwork. ICE Cubes built a standardized "slot machine" on the ISS where you plug in your experiment cube, and a ground software lets you monitor it from your office. Think of it like renting a desk in a coworking space, except the coworking space orbits Earth at 28,000 km/h.

By the numbers

EUR 2,337,125

EU contribution for developing the commercial ISS access service

SME consortium partner (Space Applications Services NV, Belgium)

Demo deliverables including Engineering Model, Demo Model, Training Model, and Ground Support Equipment

Total project deliverables

100%

Industry participation ratio in consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

Getting experiments onto the International Space Station has traditionally been a privilege reserved for government-funded space agencies — costing millions of euros and requiring years of bureaucratic approvals. Pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms, and universities with legitimate microgravity research needs are locked out by cost, complexity, and the lack of a simple commercial pathway.

The solution

What was built

A complete commercial service for ISS experiment access, including: a plug-and-play on-orbit Framework facility, the PharmaLab multi-cube pharmaceutical research facility, ground monitoring and control software, and all supporting hardware (Engineering Model with qualification testing, Demo Model, Training Model, and Ground Support Equipment). The service covers experiment development support, flight acceptance, launch manifest management, and on-orbit operations.

Audience

Who needs this

Pharmaceutical companies researching drug behavior in microgravityBiotech startups working on protein crystallization or cell biologyUniversities building hands-on space research programsMaterials science companies testing new compounds in zero gravityContract research organizations offering specialized testing services

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Pharmaceutical R&D

enterprise

Target: Pharmaceutical companies and contract research organizations exploring drug behavior in microgravity

If you are a pharma company struggling to understand protein crystallization or drug formulation behavior under normal lab conditions — this project developed the PharmaLab, a dedicated multi-cube facility on the ISS specifically for pharmaceutical research. The service handles everything from experiment development to flight acceptance and on-orbit operations, backed by EUR 2,337,125 in EU funding.

Higher Education & Academic Research

any

Target: Universities and academic programs with space science curricula

If you are a university wanting to give students and researchers real access to space experiments but lack the budget and connections — this service was designed to let any academic institution plug an Experiment Cube into the ISS. The single-company consortium of Space Applications Services, an SME with daily ESA collaboration experience, manages the entire process from development to astronaut training.

Biotechnology & Life Sciences

SME

Target: Biotech companies researching microfluidics and bioreactor processes

If you are a biotech firm investigating how cells, microorganisms, or microfluidic systems behave in microgravity — this project built a modular plug-and-play facility on the ISS with ground monitoring software. The engineering model underwent full qualification testing, meaning the hardware is flight-proven and ready to host your experiment cubes.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

How much does it cost to run an experiment on the ISS through this service?

The project was designed specifically to provide 'low cost access' to the ISS compared to traditional routes. Exact pricing per experiment cube is not disclosed in the project data. Contact the service provider for current commercial rates.

Can this handle experiments at industrial scale or is it limited to small research samples?

The system uses standardized Experiment Cubes that plug into the on-orbit Framework facility. The project also developed miniaturized capabilities and market-driven additional equipment. Scale is limited by cube dimensions and ISS power/data allocations, but multiple cubes can run simultaneously.

Who owns the intellectual property from experiments run through this service?

Based on available project data, the service provides infrastructure and support — your experiment remains yours. Space Applications Services NV coordinates the service but the IP model for customer experiments is not detailed in the public CORDIS data. This should be clarified in the service agreement.

How long does it take from signing up to having my experiment running on the ISS?

The project was built to provide 'rapid, simplified' access compared to the traditional multi-year ISS experiment process. The plug-and-play modular design and standardized cube format are meant to cut development and approval times significantly. Exact timelines depend on experiment complexity and launch manifest availability.

What technical support is included?

The service explicitly offers 'as much or as little customer support as needed' throughout experiment development, flight acceptance, launch, and operations. This includes ground monitoring and control software that is installable out of the box, letting you access your experiments remotely from your own facility.

Is the system already flying or still in development?

The project delivered a full Engineering Model that underwent qualification testing, plus a Demo Model, Training Model, and Ground Support Equipment. The objective confirmed launching the Framework facility to the ISS along with at least one university Experiment Cube during the project period (2015-2017).

Are there regulatory hurdles for getting my experiment approved for the ISS?

ICE Cubes was designed to handle flight acceptance on behalf of customers, removing the burden of navigating space agency approval processes. Space Applications Services has direct working experience with ESA on payload development and astronaut training, which streamlines the regulatory path.

Consortium

Who built it

This is a single-company project by Space Applications Services NV, a Belgian SME that works daily with ESA on ISS payload development and astronaut training. The 100% industry, 100% SME consortium with EUR 2,337,125 in EU funding under the SME-2 scheme signals a commercialization-stage venture — the EU specifically funds SME-2 projects that are close to market. Having no university or research partners is actually a strength here: this is a company building a commercial service, not a research consortium producing papers. The coordinator's existing ESA relationship provides the operational credibility and access that would take competitors years to establish.

SPACE APPLICATIONS SERVICES NVCoordinator · BE

How to reach the team

Space Applications Services NV (Belgium) — contact available through their commercial website icecubesservice.com

Order a report on this consortium See SPACE APPLICATIONS SERVICES NV profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore whether microgravity testing could give your R&D a competitive edge? SciTransfer can arrange an introduction to the ICE Cubes team and help you scope a feasibility assessment.

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