\tScience & Exploration<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t12\/09\/2025
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Today, the\u00a0Columbus laboratory<\/a>\u00a0aboard the International Space Station completes its 100 000th orbit around Earth\u2014a remarkable achievement for Europe\u2019s science module in space.\u00a0<\/p>\n Since its\u00a0launch in 2008<\/a>, Columbus has been a hub of research and innovation, orbiting at 28 800 km\/h and approximately 400 km above Earth.\u00a0Over the course of 6427 days, it has travelled more than 4.26 billion kilometres, hosted astronauts from over 20 countries, and supported hundreds of experiments that explore everything from human health to advanced materials.<\/p>\n \tBuilt for space<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tESA astronaut Hans Schlegel works on Columbus exterior during the second spacewalk of the STS-122 mission<\/a><\/p>\n Columbus was designed and built by Airbus, a major engineering feat involving multiple European sites. The module is a highly complex system with thousands of parts that had to work together and then integrate with the even larger, multinational Space Station. This required coordination across all engineering disciplines and marked a milestone in European space collaboration and capability.<\/p>\n Built to endure the harsh conditions of space, Columbus was engineered for long-term human habitation. It had to withstand extreme temperatures\u2014from +120\u00b0C in direct sunlight to -150\u00b0C in shadow\u2014as well as protect against radiation and micrometeoroid impacts.<\/p>\n Inside its 7-metre-long, 4.5-metre-wide structure are 10 experiment racks, each functioning as a mini-laboratory. These facilities allow scientists to conduct research in microgravity\u2014an environment that reveals phenomena impossible to observe on Earth.<\/p>\n \tScience in orbit<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tTidy Columbus<\/a><\/p>\n From cold plasma<\/a> and 3D metal printing<\/a> to studies on bone loss and brain function, the science conducted in Columbus has real-world applications that benefit both astronauts and people on the ground.<\/p>\n The module has supported more than 250 experiments to date, with many more planned. Today, 21 experiments are active\u201413 from ESA and eight from NASA\u2014and during the current mission phase (Increment 73), over 50 experiments have been planned or executed. Most experiments are a mix of automated and crew-operated procedures, with ground teams working around the clock to monitor and coordinate activities.<\/p>\n \tCode, crew and control rooms<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tColumbus Control Centre in 2023<\/a><\/p>\n Columbus has also played a role in education and outreach. Programmes like AstroPi<\/a> have allowed over 163 000 students to run their own code aboard the Space Station, inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers.<\/p>\n Behind the scenes, operations are managed 24\/7 by dedicated teams at the Columbus Contol Centre<\/a> close to Munich in Germany who have run more than 19 000 shifts since Columbus was installed. These teams ensure the module remains safe, efficient and scientifically productive, coordinating everything from system checks to astronaut support.<\/p>\n 16 ESA astronauts, as well as astronauts from non-European nations including the United States, Canada, Japan and others, have worked inside Columbus. Some have even used the module as a temporary living space, sleeping inside the CASA<\/a> crew quarter.<\/p>\n As Columbus reaches this milestone, it stands as a symbol of European excellence in space\u2014more than just a module, it is a laboratory, a classroom and a collaborative platform whose technologies inspired other major European space programmes, including the Orion European Service Module<\/a>, propelling humanity to the Moon as part of the Artemis programme.<\/p>\n