(ANSA) - Rome, April 17 - The SpaceX Dragon commercial cargo craft with a payload including Italian coffee was captured by a robotic arm and attached to the International Space Station on Friday, guided by Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti with the assistance of NASA astronaut Terry Virts.

The so-called "Dragon capsule" was launched from Earth on April 14 and loaded with scientific material for 40 experiments, along with supplies including an innovative Italian espresso machine.

Italian-made ISSpresso, the zero-gravity coffee machine, could innovate space food, the makers say.

ISSpresso marks the first time astronauts will have espresso in space. Developed by aerospace company Argotec, aerospace giant Finmeccanica and coffee king Lavazza, the machine is designed to be anchored to the space station's floor and requires 120-volt power. The espresso is made from ISSpresso capsules, which when processed require 7 bars of atmospheric pressure and space station tap water for 75-degree-Celsius-heated serving.

Argotec's Davide Alvino said the coffee experience will be different as "ISSpresso is above all a complex experiment in the physics of the fluids that employs sophisticated technology to validate a system capable of enuring the management of different liquids at high pressure and temperature in a space environment".

If ISSpresso is successful, it could improve space food nutrition by allowing the production of other beverages including soups and broths.

"With the next supplies, we could send into orbit new capsules to prepare other types of beverages, such as tea and herbal teas, and also consomme'", Alvino said.

