Despite Starbucks' ubiquity, the company hasn't been able to penetrate the vast, untapped market of space yet — and now it might have some competition. Italian coffee company Lavazza is creating a custom-made, space-ready coffee machine called the "ISSpresso," which promises "authentic Italian espresso" for astronauts who are coffee snobs.
The machine uses a high-tech system to perfect a cup of coffee in the micro-gravity environment. The Independent explains:
The plastic tube that normally delivers water in coffeemakers has been replaced by a steel tube capable of resisting pressures of over 400 bar to ensure that no liquids escape and the final product is served not in an espresso cup but in a sealed plastic pouch that lets the astronauts suck up their morning shot with a straw – rather than chase it around the zero G ISS. [The Independent]
The machine will be delivered in November to the ISS by — who else? — an Italian astronaut.
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