Experiments in nothingness How Vacuum Technology is Advancing Space Research

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Vacuum technology enables researchers to recreate the harsh conditions of space on Earth, laying the foundation for scientific discoveries and future manufacturing beyond our planet.

Above the thin layer of the atmosphere, space forms a fascinating yet unforgiving environment: microgravity, extreme temperature fluctuations and pressures reaching extremely high vacuum levels. For researchers, these conditions are not obstacles but opportunities to discover new principles in science and technology. Long before experiments make their way onto a rocket or to the International Space Station (ISS), laboratories are required in which the vacuum of space can be simulated on Earth, allowing every variable to be tested and every process to be understood before heading into orbit. At the centre of this recreation of space is something invisible yet essential: vacuum technology.

From earth to orbit

Imagine a control room monitoring experiments aboard the ISS: data streams flicker across screens alongside real time tracking of samples such as conductive metals that are melted, cooled and observed under microgravity conditions in space to study their behaviour.

On Earth, gravity would interfere with such experiments in several ways, introducing unwanted influences and distorting the true behaviour of the metal samples. Convection currents would stir the molten material, heavier components would sink while lighter ones rise. Under the microgravity conditions found in orbit, these effects do not occur, allowing samples to be examined in their purest form. The result is precise insight into processes that would otherwise remain hidden: how substances transfer heat, how they flow and how they solidify. These findings are far more than abstract numbers. They provide the basis for developing advanced aerospace components, more efficient turbines and additive manufacturing processes.

The journey begins in the laboratory

Before an experiment reaches space, its journey begins in laboratories on Earth. Here, researchers test their experimental setups as if they were already operating in space under ultra high vacuum (UHV) conditions of 10⁻8 hPa (mbar) or even higher. To create these conditions, vacuum technology is crucial. Fully integrated solutions for space research combine powerful turbomolecular vacuum pumps with precise control systems and customised vacuum chambers. In this way, they reproduce orbital conditions accurately and consistently.

To recreate the vacuum of space and precisely reproduce experimental conditions, it is essential to minimise gas leaks, maintain constant pressure, control temperature changes and provide a stable environment for sensitive equipment. For this reason, the vacuum equipment used must be optimised for extremely low background contamination and may optionally provide heating or cooling capabilities to replicate the massive temperature fluctuations encountered in space. High quality surfaces with light absorbing coatings simulate the darkness of orbit on Earth. These vacuum setups allow researchers to reliably test experiments before conducting them in the near empty environment of real space.

Once such conditions have been recreated using vacuum technology, metallic samples similar to those intended for the live experiment are placed inside the vacuum chamber under UHV conditions to verify that the test setup is suitable for the required measurements.

Without vacuum, these experiments would be meaningless on Earth. Air molecules would interfere with measurements and distort results. Under vacuum conditions, matter reveals its true behaviour.

A few minutes of silence

Some experiments do not require several months aboard the ISS. Researchers need only a few minutes, approximately 20 to be precise. This is how long a sounding rocket remains in microgravity before falling back to Earth.

Sounding rockets are specialised research rockets designed to carry scientific instruments on short suborbital flights. Unlike satellites or space capsules, they do not enter orbit around Earth. Instead, they travel into space before returning to the planet. This makes them ideal for experiments requiring only a short period of microgravity, such as testing instruments before they are sent on more complex orbital or interplanetary missions.

Inside compact experimental modules packed tightly together like drawers, materials are melted, solidified or even 3D printed. The rocket ascends more than 250 kilometres (approx. 155 miles) into the atmosphere, where it remains in microgravity for several minutes, acting like a scientific elevator to the edge of the universe. By the time the sounding rocket returns to Earth, researchers have already collected terabytes of data.

To make the most of this brief time in space, all experiments are tested beforehand in vacuum laboratory facilities on Earth.

Preparing for the future: Manufacturing in space

Perhaps the most exciting vision is that of additive manufacturing in space. Imagine astronauts on a long duration mission to Mars. Instead of waiting for spare parts from Earth, they manufacture them directly on board, layer by layer, from metal powders. No cargo limitations, no resupply missions, only complete self sufficiency.

To turn this vision into reality, scientists are already testing these processes in vacuum chambers on Earth. They are simulating what could one day become standard practice: producing complex, resource efficient components directly in orbit. Every successful test brings them closer to a future in which spacecraft can repair themselves and habitats are created from materials found in space.

An invisible backbone

Among the great achievements of space exploration, vacuum technology rarely stands in the spotlight. It is not as spectacular as a rocket launch or an astronaut's spacewalk. Yet it underpins all of them. From qualifying satellite systems before launch to conducting sensitive experiments in orbit, vacuum is the silent partner behind every discovery.

The technology has even made its way into space itself. Vacuum pumps and systems accompany experiments aboard the ISS, ensuring that the vacuum required for precise scientific work is always available. Without them, many of today's breakthroughs would not have been possible.

Ultimately, space research is not only about rockets, astronauts or distant planets. It is also about the invisible stage we build here on Earth, where vacuum reveals the secrets of matter and where the future of exploration quietly takes shape.