Astronauts on the International Space Station ( ISS ) will be getting a helping hand with maintenance tasks this spring when they will be joined by small robots called Astrobees . The free - flying , 30 cm - by-30 cm cubes , powered by rechargeable lithium - ion batteries , will carry out checks on oxygen , CO2 and radiation quality and inventory , and will be linked by video to technicians on Earth . The Astrobees will remain on the ISS until the end of its life in 2020 . The robots are intended to free up scientists ' time by performing routine tasks for them .
Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) will be getting a helping hand with maintenance tasks this spring when they will be joined by small robots called Astrobees. The free-flying, 30 cm-by-30 cm cubes, powered by rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, will carry out checks on air, CO2 and radiation levels and inventory, and will be linked by video to technicians on Earth. The Astrobees will remain on the ISS until the end of its life in 2024. The robots are intended to free up scientists' time by performing routine tasks for them.