ISSpresso: How the World’s First Espresso Machine Made Coffee Possible in Space

 As coffee continues to grow in popularity, the places where people enjoy it are no longer limited to homes or cafés. Today, coffee can be made almost anywhere—yes, even in outer space. That’s right: astronauts on space missions can enjoy coffee too.

This may not sound like breaking news. In fact, it became possible more than a decade ago. However, relatively few people know the story behind it. So today, let’s take a closer look at the world’s first espresso machine designed for space: ISSpresso.

Back in 2015, the Italian Space Agency partnered with Italian coffee company Lavazza to develop the world’s first espresso machine for the International Space Station. The machine was named ISSpresso.

In space, due to microgravity, liquids don’t flow the way they do on Earth, making something as simple as drinking coffee extremely challenging. For many years, astronauts could only consume instant coffee squeezed out of pouches—hardly a pleasant or satisfying experience. ISSpresso fundamentally changed that by dramatically improving both drinkability and flavor.

After all, for Italians, a good cup of coffee makes everything better—and astronauts are no exception.

One of the greatest challenges in designing ISSpresso was making espresso in a microgravity environment. Traditional espresso extraction on Earth is closely tied to gravity, or at least influenced by it. Successfully brewing coffee under microgravity conditions became a fascinating and meaningful experiment.

Beyond coffee itself, ISSpresso also created valuable opportunities to study fluid dynamics in microgravity—specifically how liquids (both pure and mixed) behave under high pressure and high temperature in space.

To overcome challenges related to microgravity, pressure, and safety, ISSpresso was built using specially designed sealed bags and steel tubing. Development took 18 months and went through four different prototypes before arriving at the final version.

The first prototype, known as the 2-D model, focused on hydraulic and pneumatic systems. The second, called the Elegance model, was developed to test mechanical functionality and align components with those used in the flight unit. The third version, the ground model, was nearly identical in function to the flight model and underwent extensive testing.

The final Protoflight model—the actual flight unit—integrated the best technical solutions from all previous versions. Its internal and external structures were designed and tested to withstand the loads experienced during launch aboard the SpaceX CRS-6 spacecraft.

Compared to commercial espresso machines on Earth, ISSpresso is heavier and far more complex. This is mainly due to material choices and additional safety systems required for space use.

The machine weighs nearly 20 kilograms (with dimensions of 43 × 42 × 36 cm). Its hydraulic circuit uses steel piping instead of plastic, allowing it to withstand operating pressures of up to 400 bar. The brew head is designed to minimize residual water after extraction and is equipped with micro-switches that prevent high-pressure hot water leaks if the brew head fails to close properly.

Before ISSpresso, astronauts only had access to instant coffee—thick, paste-like beverages squeezed from pouches, with flavor that left much to be desired. ISSpresso dramatically improved coffee quality in space and offered multiple beverage options, including:

• Espresso (30 ml)

• Long espresso / lungo (60 ml)

• Hot drinks such as tea or broth (120 ml)

The machine also includes a 60 ml rinse cycle to clean the hydraulic system after use.

To operate ISSpresso, astronauts use a NASA-standard beverage pouch along with specially designed coffee capsules. The operation is similar to using a traditional espresso machine and requires no special training.

Once the water container is properly installed, the astronaut inserts a coffee capsule into the top opening, closes the hatch, selects the desired beverage, and connects the drink pouch to the adapter. Brewing begins at approximately 75°C, while replicating the extraction pressure of ground-based espresso machines.

The water container and beverage pouch connectors are compatible with the space station’s drinking water distribution system, ensuring seamless integration.

To drink the coffee, astronauts use a specially designed zero-gravity espresso cup, which relies on capillary action to draw liquid into the mouth—making it possible to enjoy espresso even in space.

It’s remarkable that humanity’s pursuit of a truly good cup of coffee could help advance space technology. ISSpresso not only satisfied astronauts’ taste buds but also stands as an impressive engineering achievement—further proving that coffee is deeply embedded in human culture.

Key Milestones of ISSpresso

• April 14, 2015: The ISSpresso flight model was launched to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX CRS-6

• May 3, 2015: Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti enjoyed the first espresso in microgravity

• December 14, 2017: The ISSpresso mission concluded, and the machine returned to Earth via SpaceX CRS-13