Astronaut Jessica Meir Completes Hardware Updates for NASA's Cold Atom Lab on ISS

NASA astronaut Jessica Meir conducted hardware updates to the Cold Atom Lab (CAL) aboard the International Space Station on May 8, 2026, inspecting optical fibers and installing new components. The Cold Atom Lab, approximately the size of a minifridge and operated remotely from Earth, cools atoms to temperatures below minus 459 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 273.15 degrees Celsius)—so close to absolute zero that they form a Bose-Einstein condensate, a unique fifth state of matter distinct from solids, liquids, gases, and plasma.

In this quantum state, scientists can observe atomic properties at a scale visible to the naked eye, including wave-particle duality, the phenomenon in which atoms and particles behave simultaneously as solid objects and as waves. This capability enables research into quantum properties that cannot be replicated under normal Earth conditions. The Cold Atom Lab was managed by Caltech in Pasadena and designed, built, and operated by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, with sponsorship from NASA's Biological and Physical Sciences division at agency headquarters in Washington.

The Biological and Physical Sciences division uses space environments to conduct investigations impossible on Earth, advancing fundamental scientific knowledge required for deeper space exploration and longer-duration missions. Research conducted under extreme conditions in orbit also yields benefits for life on Earth. The hardware updates completed by Meir maintain and enhance the lab's operational capabilities for ongoing quantum physics research aboard the ISS.