Brussels, Belgium – 20 October 2026 – Since its installation in ESA’s Columbus laboratory in 2008, FSL has enabled scientists to explore how fluids, foams, emulsions and granular materials behave in weightlessness, advancing knowledge in fields ranging from fundamental physics to industrial processes. Over nearly two decades, the facility supported dozens of research campaigns and became a cornerstone of European science in orbit.
To mark the conclusion of FSL operations and its decommissioning, ESA, BIRA-IASB, researchers, engineers, operators and industry partners gathered in Brussels on 9 October to reflect on the facility’s scientific legacy and recognise the teams whose dedication sustained it throughout its lifetime.
Space Applications Services is proud to have contributed to the final chapter of this journey. From 2017 onwards, the company has contributed to the refurbishment and continued operation of the facility, providing engineering expertise, flight hardware and operational support that helped extend FSL’s scientific contribution well beyond its original design life. Through its work at the Belgian User Support and Operations Centre (B.USOC), company personnel supported the preparation and execution of experiments until the completion of science operations in July 2026.
Celebrating a legacy, building on experience
The retirement of FSL marks the end of an important chapter in European research aboard the International Space Station. Designed for a much shorter operational lifetime, the facility remained in service for more than 18 years, a testament to both the strength of its original design and the commitment of the teams that continuously adapted and upgraded it to meet evolving scientific needs.
For Space Applications Services, the story of FSL is closely linked to nearly a decade of engineering and operational involvement. From the development of the Video Management Unit MkII and the refurbishment activities that revitalised the facility, to the execution of its final science campaigns, company teams helped ensure that researchers across Europe could continue to make full use of this unique laboratory in orbit.
The last experiment carried out in FSL, PASTA-3, completed its science operations on 17 July 2026, bringing to a close a remarkable period of European microgravity research. Yet while the facility itself is reaching the end of its mission, its impact will continue far beyond the International Space Station.
The technologies developed, the operational expertise gained and the partnerships forged through FSL remain highly relevant as Europe prepares for the next generation of orbital research platforms and human spaceflight activities. The experience accumulated through years of supporting scientists and astronauts, operating complex experiments from Earth, and developing advanced flight systems continues to form Space Applications Services’ work today.
As one laboratory’s story comes to an end, a new chapter begins. Building on the heritage of FSL, Space Applications Services will continue contributing to future scientific missions, advanced space technologies and the next generation of research opportunities beyond Earth, ensuring that the knowledge and expertise developed over nearly two decades of operations continue to benefit the European space sector for years to come.
Contact:
Maxime Goffinet
Communications & Media Coordinator
maxime.goffinet@spaceapplications.com
