About us
MATISS is the European network of Commercial Agents in charge of supporting the European Space Agency (ESA) in promoting the use of International Space Station (ISS) for industrial research in all fields related to materials sciences, chemical processing-related sciences, nanotechnology and combustion research. The network includes international experts in technology transfer, materials research, space science and technology, marketing of new technologies and innovation management. The MATISS network is coordinated by Innova S.p.A. (Italy) and includes the following companies: ISS Lab Ruhr (Germany), Adam Alva Neal (Germany), Bureau BD (The Netherland), D’appolonia (Italy), AGT Engineering (Italy), Centro Sviluppo Materiali (Italy).
One of the most important goals of the ISS is to function as a multidisciplinary research laboratory, exploiting the unique environment offered by space. Onboard the ISS, it is currently possible to perform fundamental science experiments in field ranging from biological to physical sciences. Since more than 3 decades the materials sciences sector has been among the disciplines benefiting the most from the use space conditions (especially microgravity) to obtain information and to investigate phenomena of important industrial relevance. Microgravity studies are also relevant to obtain fundamental information in mass and energy transport phenomena, that are of capital importance in a number of industrial sectors such as oil and gas and the chemical industry.
MATISS at a glance
Why space conditions?
- Microgravity environment
- Harsh temperature and radiation conditions
- Vacuum
Phenomena influenced:
- Crystallisation
- Emulsions
- Nanoparticles formation
- Diffusion phenomena
- Combustion
- Plasma dynamics
Technological fields:
- New Materials
- Nanotechnology
- Combustion technologies
- Interfacial mass and energy transport in chemical processes
