The International Space Station recently benefited from an expansion: the Bartolomeo research platform.
Named after Columbus’ younger brother, the Bartolomeo is installed outside of the Columbus Laboratory—the European module of the ISS. Both units were built by Airbus.
The platform can provide power and data transmission capabilities to up to 12 different payload slots with unobstructed views of the surface from a low-Earth-orbit vantage point of 240 miles above the ground. Bartolomeo offers valuable space-based infrastructure for Earth observation, environmental and climate studies, astrophysics, and material sciences. It also serves as a platform for technology development in robotics and other fields, opening opportunities for their commercialization.
“This unique platform will offer new and affordable Earth observation applications and give companies and research institutions the unique opportunity to explore their project quickly and easily in space,” said Andreas Hammer, Airbus’ Head of Space Exploration.
Airbus is offering an all-in-one mission service for Bartolomeo, including technical support in preparing the payload, launch and installation, operations and data transfer, as well as an optional return to Earth.
The platform’s cutting-edge data capabilities will be particularly useful. Data from experiments run on Bartolomeo are transmitted to the surface through the ISS’s telemetry system; from there it goes into cloud storage that researchers can access via smartphone. They can also transmit commands to their payloads aboard the Bartolomeo from their phone.
Payload owners will also be able to switch out modules remotely from Earth, with robots, eliminating the need for a spacewalk. The payloads are designed with standardized dimensions and interfaces to make installation and removal that much easier.
The Bartolomeo offers new opportunities for private space ventures at a time when the future of the ISS is the source of considerable speculation. Companies would save a lot of money sending up their projects on regularly scheduled ISS supply missions rather than launching a dedicated satellite for their research. The ‘rent’ on board Bartolomeo will range between $340,000 to $4 million per year.
“With the 'research balcony' Bartolomeo, the ISS is entering a new era," said Walther Pelzer, head of the German Aerospace Center’s Space Administration.“Bartolomeo is Europe's first private external platform on the ISS and offers companies and research institutions the unique opportunity to develop their project quickly and easily in space.”
As the ISS shifts its focus to more commercial activities, the innovative Bartolomeo platform will offer investors and scientists alike an appealing new space-based laboratory for their work.
Find out more about cutting-edge scientific work aboard the ISS at NASA's new robot to join Space Station Crew.