Station Technology Demonstration

Teams of NASA researchers put their next-generation technologies to the microgravity test in a series of parabolic flights that aim to advance innovations supporting the agency’s space exploration goals.

Enter the realm of low Earth orbit, where the International Space Station (ISS) serves as a beacon of innovation and a testament to human ingenuity. The ISS National Laboratory sponsors groundbreaking research and development (R&D) pioneering new technologies. 

Using NASA’s first two-way, end-to-end laser relay system, pictures and videos of cherished pets flew through space over laser communications links at a rate of 1.2 gigabits per second — faster than most home internet speeds.

NASA is planning to repair NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer), an X-ray telescope on the International Space Station, during a spacewalk later this year. It will be the fourth science observatory in orbit serviced by astronauts.

Launching an investigation to the International Space Station (ISS) requires several steps and collaboration, and a session at the ISS Research and Development Conference (ISSRDC) will showcase some of the critical partners that support research on station.