Columbus External Payload Facility

At the end of its operational phase, a payload is transported to the carrier by robotic means and returned to ground for post-mission inspection and analysis and, possibly, refurbishment.

An EVA for ISS astronauts to connect power and communications cables and to install a new Ka-band antenna was carried out on January 27, 2021.

Data from attached experiments will be routed to the ground through the space station's telemetry system, then go into cloud storage, where scientists can access the information with a smartphone.

A German-made laser communications terminal will be added to Bartolomeo in 2021, allowing faster data links between experiments and their operators on the ground.

[needs update] Airbus is also partnering with the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs to solicit ideas for Bartolomeo payloads from around the world.

[8] In January 2025, a London-based company called Sen unveiled a high-resolution livestream from space via a camera hosted on the Bartolomeo platform.

Source:[10] This article incorporates public domain material from Columbus - External Payload Facility (Columbus-EPF).