The International Space Station is to have an Italian espresso maker so astronauts can have a break from instant coffee to 'boost spirits' SpaceX is scheduled to launch its unmanned rocket with the espresso maker — and 4,000 pounds of food, science research and other equipment — on Monday afternoon. The experimental espresso machine is intended for International Space Station astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti of Italy. Scroll down for video . This undated image shows a prototype of Lavazza and Argotec's 'ISSpresso' machine. The final version will be the first real Italian espresso machine on The International Space Station . On Monday a version of the coffee maker is scheduled for launch to the International Space Station aboard a supply capsule which will also include 4,000 pounds of food, science research and other equipment . It was supposed to arrive in January, shortly after her arrival, so she could get some relief from the station's instant coffee. But it ended up on the back burner after a station shipment from Virginia was lost in a launch explosion. The espresso machine was originally intended for astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti of Italy so she could get a break from the station's instant coffee . The espresso maker is dubbed ISSpresso — ISS standing for International Space Station. Italian coffee giant Lavazza joined forces with the Turin-based engineering company Argotec and the Italian Space Agency to provide a specially designed machine for use off the planet. NASA certified its safety. It is the first coffee machine able to work in micro gravity on the ISS, where the principles that regulate the fluid dynamics of liquids and mixtures are very different from those typical on Earth. It uses a 'capsule system' to fill plastic pouches with espresso and other hot drinks such as tea. The machine can also be used to rehydrate food. In order to handle liquids at high pressure and high temperature in a space environment, the plastic tubing inside the normal coffee machines has been replaced with a steel tubes designed to withstand pressure of more than 400 bar. The ISSpresso machine uses a standard coffee capsule, which is posted in the top of the machine. Water is aspirated and pressurised in a unique electrical system and is then heated. The granules mix with the hot water and the coffee is piped into a pouch, which is securely fastened to the machine using a 'rapid coupling/uncoupling system.' The ISSpresso machine is the first coffee machine able to work in micro gravity, where the principles that regulate the fluid dynamics of liquids and mixtures are very different from those typical on earth . Hovering up to 270 miles (435 km) above the Earth, the International Space Station (pictured) is a long way from home and astronauts have reported missing creature comforts such as coffee and beer . Astronauts drink the coffee straight from the pouch using a straw. The machine is much heavier than a normal model, which typically weighs 29lbs (13kg). The space-bound machine weighs around 44lbs (20kg) because there are backups of all the critical components, for safety reasons, and in accordance with the specifications agreed upon with the ISA. NASA's space station program deputy manager, Dan Hartman, said it's all part of making astronauts feel at home as they spend months — and even up to a year — in orbit. Already, Mission Control gives astronauts full access to email, phone calls, private video hookups, and live news and sports broadcasts. The ISSpresso machine uses a normal Lavazza coffee capsule, which is posted in the top of the machine. Water is aspirated and pressurised in a unique electrical system and is then heated. The granules mix with the hot water and the coffee is piped into a pouch, which is securely fastened to the machine using a 'rapid coupling/uncoupling system.' Astronauts drink the coffee straight from the pouch using a straw. 'The psychological support is very, very important,' Hartman told reporters on Sunday. He continued: 'If an espresso machine comes back and we get a lot of great comments from the crew... It's kind of like the ice cream thing, right, when we fly ice cream every now and then. 'It's just to boost spirits. Maybe some rough day, a scoop of ice cream gets them over that hump kind of thing.' The SpaceX Dragon supply ship also holds experiments for NASA's one-year space station resident Scott Kelly, who moved in a couple weeks ago. Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko also will remain on board until March 2016. This will be the California-based SpaceX company's seventh station supply run since 2012, all from Cape Canaveral. For the third time, SpaceX will attempt to land its leftover booster vertically on an ocean barge. Both previous tests failed. Improvements to the first-stage booster and floating platform — based on lessons learned from the January and February attempts — should boost the odds of success this time to 75 per cent or maybe 80 per cent, said Hans Koenigsmann, vice president of mission assurance for SpaceX. SpaceX's billionaire founder Elon Musk wants to save time and money by reusing the boosters normally discarded in the Atlantic. In fact, the company is transforming a former missile-launching site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station into a landing pad for its revolutionary flyback boosters. Monday's launch time is 4.33pm. Forecasters put the odds of good weather at 60 per cent. Once the coffee is brewed, it's dispensed in a pouch, which astronauts drink straight from using a straw .
The espresso maker, named the ISSpresso maker after the International Space Station, is set for lift off on Monday . It was designed by Italian coffee giant Lavazza, engineering company Argotec and the Italian Space Agency . The experimental machine was specially designed to for use off the planet . It was originally intended for International Space Station astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti of Italy as relief from the station's instant coffee . NASA's space station program deputy manager, Dan Hartman, said it is being sent as part of the goal of making astronauts feel at home .