The International Space Station is finally getting an espresso machine

The International Space Station is finally getting a coffee machine. No more dry powders mixed with water. There are about to be real, hot, brewed cups of espresso in space.

Italian aerospace company Argotec and Italian coffee maker Lavazza, in collaboration with the Italian Space Agency, teamed up to create the ISSpresso, a space-friendly coffee maker that works much like a Keurig, in which hot water is poured through a capsule of espresso or coffee.

Its creators claim that espresso coffee is what Italian astronauts miss most aboard the station. (Even more than gravity? Italians must really like their coffee.)

"Italian coffee is a beverage without borders," Giuseppe Lavazza, vice president of Lavazza said in a statement. "And we have been thinking about taking the espresso into space for some time."

"In fact, today we are in a position to overcome the limits of weightlessness and enjoy a good espresso — the indisputable symbol of made in Italy products — on board the International Space Station," he added.

The whole "zero-gravity" thing made for some engineering troubleshooting — the plastic tube that usually carries hot water inside a normal espresso machine has been replaced with a steel tube to withstand much higher pressure — and safety and engineering concerns dictated enough backup systems in the machine to make it weigh a whopping 20 kilograms (44 pounds).

But at least it's real coffee, right?

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"Food provides an important psychological support and being able to enjoy a good Italian espresso may be just the right way to finish off the menu designed especially for each astronaut, helping him or her to feel closer to home,” said Argotec's managing director, David Avino.

According to the official press release, "The innovative capsule system will also be able to prepare not only a regular espresso, but also a caffè lungo or hot beverages, such as tea, infusions and broth, so that food can also be rehydrated."

The ISSpresso should be ready to travel to the International Space Station in November, just in time for the Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti's arrival.

Cristoforetti will be part of the Futura Mission, the second long-term mission of the Italian Space Agency at the station. Not only will she make history as the first Italian woman in space, she'll likely be the first to drink Italian espresso in space, too.

According to Collect Space, this isn't the first beverage dispenser to be developed for astronauts:

"In the mid-1990s, the Coca-Cola Company flew on two space shuttle flights fountains to dispense carbonated soft drinks. The results however, were not what Coca-Cola expected and the project was canceled."

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