The objective of the Metabolic Characterization of the MELiSSA Waste Compartment, Phase 1 project is to fully characterize, in terms of taxonomy and functional capacity, the microbial community present in the C1 Anaerobic Liquefaction Sub-System (ALSS).

The International Space Station (ISS) is slowly approaching the end of its mission. The European Space Agency (ESA) and its international partners are considering new mission targets for the future of human space exploration in the post-ISS era. Highest ranked on the list of potential targets are a return to the Moon, Near-Earth Objects or asteroids, the moons of Mars (Phobos, Deimos) and, as the ultimate target, the surface of Mars.

Activity with GSTP and RUAG, Austria, to develop a thermal insulation suitable for planetary landers and rover.

An extensive trade-off of on various materials was carried out and supported by full material characterisation tests. Two insulation concepts were selected: foam and a gas gap.

The technical solutions are light weight, flexible and can be applied directly on the external/internal walls, wrapped around electrical cables and to mechanisms

Cryogenic instruments based on imaging arrays of superconducting Transition Edge Sensor (TES) detectors operating at very-low temperature are proposed for future high- and low-energy astrophysics space missions, including the X-IFU instrument for Athena and the SAFARI instrument for SPICA. 2-D arrays of 1000's of TES detectors at 50 mK enable high-sensitivity imaging with high optical efficiency and fast response.