Cold Atom Laboratory

The Cold Atom Laboratory (CAL) is an experimental instrument being developed that was originally scheduled for launch to the International Space Station (ISS) in June 2017. [1] It was then delayed until a scheduled launch on a SpaceX CRS-12 rocket in August 2017.[2] It was launched in May 21, 2018.[3]

Cold Atom Laboratory.

The instrument will create extremely cold conditions in the microgravity environment of the ISS, leading to the formation of Bose Einstein Condensates that are a magnitude colder than those that are created in laboratories on Earth.[1] In a space-based laboratory, up to 10 seconds interaction times and as low as 1 picokelvin temperatures are achievable, and it could lead to exploration of unknown quantum mechanical phenomena and test some of the most fundamental laws of physics.[4] [1] These experiments are best done in a freely falling environment, because it's more conducive to uninhibited formation of Bose Einstein Condensates. Ground based experiments suffer from the effect of the Condensate interacting assymetrically with the apparatus, interfering with the time evolution of the Condensate. In orbit, experiments can last much longer because freefall is sustained indefinitely.[1] NASA's JPL scientists state that the CAL investigation could advance knowledge in the development of extremely sensitive quantum detectors, which could be used for monitoring the gravity of Earth and other planetary bodies, or for building advanced navigation devices.[1]

The initial mission will have a duration of 12 months with up to five years of extended operation.[1]