{"data":{"id":1877,"lang":"en","title":"NASA Activates Upgraded Cold Atom Lab on ISS, Creating Universe's Coldest Quantum Matter in Space","summary":"NASA's fourth upgrade of its Cold Atom Lab on the ISS enables space-based Bose-Einstein condensate experiments at the coldest temperatures in the universe, opening a new era of quantum 2.0 research.","category":"science","category_label":"Science","published_at":"2026-06-23T14:02:13Z","updated_at":"2026-06-23T14:02:13Z","url":"https://techtools.cz/tools/news/article/1877-nasa-activates-upgraded-cold-atom-lab-on-iss-creating-universe-s-coldest","api_url":"https://techtools.cz/news-api/v1/articles/1877?lang=en","markdown_url":"https://techtools.cz/news-api/v1/articles/1877.md?lang=en","image_url":"https://d2pn8kiwq2w21t.cloudfront.net/images/1-PIA26725-Astronaut_Jessica_Meir_Assists_wit.width-1024.jpg","word_count":178,"reading_time_minutes":1,"sources":[{"url":"https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-quantum-lab-aboard-space-station-gets-chilly-upgrade/","domain":"jpl.nasa.gov"},{"url":"https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/06/260622091507.htm","domain":"sciencedaily.com"}],"translation":{"lang":"cs","id":1950,"title":"NASA aktivovala upgradovanou Laboratoř studených atomů na ISS — ve vesmíru vzniká nejchladnější kvantová hmota","url":"https://techtools.cz/tools/news/clanek/1950-nasa-aktivovala-upgradovanou-laborator-studenych-atomu-na-iss-ve-vesmiru-vznika","api_url":"https://techtools.cz/news-api/v1/articles/1950?lang=cs"},"content":"Astronauts aboard the International Space Station have switched on NASA's newly upgraded Cold Atom Lab — a compact quantum physics facility about the size of a minifridge that chills atoms to temperatures below -459°F (-237°C), just above absolute zero. In its fourth major upgrade since 2018, the lab received a redesigned magnetic trap to alter quantum gas cloud shapes and improved metal atom sources, installed by astronaut Jessica Meir on May 8, 2026.\n\nAt these extreme temperatures, atoms fuse into Bose-Einstein condensates — a rare fifth state of matter beyond solids, liquids, gases, and plasma — in which quantum effects become visible at a large scale. The microgravity of low Earth orbit allows these experiments to run longer and reach lower temperatures than any ground-based lab can achieve. Five international research teams now share the facility.\n\nScientists describe the upgrade as the dawn of \"quantum 2.0\" — the era of directly manipulating large quantum states. Future applications include precision instruments for positioning, navigation, and gravity sensing, as well as next-generation quantum technologies for use both in space and on Earth."}}