ISSpresso

On 14 April 2015, the flight model of ISSpresso was sent to the International Space Station on SpaceX CRS-6[3] and on 3 May 2015, Samantha Cristoforetti drank the first espresso in micro-gravity conditions.

[10] ISSpresso also offered the opportunity to study physical phenomena related to the fluid dynamics in microgravity of (pure and mixed) liquids at high pressure and temperature.

The analysis of the foam formation with respect to that of the terrestrial coffee was of particular interest, starting from the design of the system in order to obtain it in microgravity.

[12] ISSpresso is heavier and more complex primarily because of the materials choice and the introduced redundancies to meet the safety requirements in all phases of the mission.

Furthermore, it hosts a set of microswitches that prevent the leakage of hot water under high pressure in case of unsuccessful or improper closure of the brewer itself.

After verifying that the water container is installed properly, the astronaut inserts the coffee capsule into an opening on the top surface of the machine, then they close the small door and select the drink size.

[18] The external and internal structure of the machine was designed and tested to support the loads transmitted by the launch of the SpaceX CRS-6 spacecraft.

ISSpresso on the International Space Station
Use of the machine was done in conjunction with a zero-g espresso cup that uses capillary action to wick fluid into the mouth. This is an Earth-bound image taken in 2015 (gravity is acting on the fluid)
Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti drinking espresso out of the cup on ISS, 2015
Cristoforetti next to ISSpresso machine, which can also produce other beverages including tea