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 . " Once it's deployed, there will be three Astrobee robots on the ISS, three on the ground and four in backup. 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 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 .