NASA has upgraded the Quantum Laboratory on the International Space Station, giving scientists the ability to study the behavior of atoms even more precisely under conditions that cannot be replicated on Earth. We are talking about the Cold Atom Laboratory system, a laboratory the size of a mini-fridge, which works in an almost weightless state on the ISS.
The goal is to study ultracold atoms at temperatures very close to absolute zero, i.e. minus 273.15 degrees Celsius. It is the lowest possible temperature in the universe, at which atoms almost completely lose their energy of motion and begin to exhibit quantum behavior that is drastically different from what we know from the everyday world.
At such low temperatures, matter no longer acts as a classical particle. Its wave nature becomes dominant, so ultracold atoms can behave in ways that are unexpected but extremely useful for precise measurements of time, gravity and motion.
The NASA Cold Atom Laboratory examines ultracold atoms in a nearly weightless state
At the basis of this experiment is a fifth aggregate state, known as the Bose-Einstein condensate. It is created when gases, in this case rubidium and potassium, are cooled almost to absolute zero by lasers. Then a large number of atoms begin to behave as one common wave of quantum matter.
Such a state allows scientists to observe quantum phenomena, which usually occur at the level of individual atoms, on a much larger scale. This is especially important because atoms are extremely small, and their quantum behavior is easily disturbed by heat, gravity and other influences from the environment.
That is why the ISS is an ideal place for such a laboratory. In an almost weightless state, clouds of ultracold atoms can expand and develop undisturbed for longer than on Earth. This gives scientists more time and more precise conditions to observe quantum effects.
The latest upgrade is the fourth major upgrade of the Cold Atom Laboratory system since it arrived on the ISS in 2018. NASA says that the magnetic trap to contain the atom cloud, the atom sources and the measurement capabilities have been improved.
The upgrades were launched to the ISS in April 2026, then installed, switched on and are already being used for new measurements. In addition to testing the basic laws of physics, such experiments can be important for the development of future quantum technologies in space.
These technologies may one day aid in precise navigation, timekeeping, positioning and gravity detection. NASA says that in the future, astronauts could navigate the moon without GPS, while similar systems could make extremely accurate maps of Earth’s gravity.
Scientists call this direction a new phase of quantum technology. The first quantum revolution brought lasers, mobile phones and MRI devices to medicine, while current experiments aim to directly control large quantum states. The ISS therefore becomes a place where not only the universe is studied, but also the very nature of matter, reports Live Science.