Océ Arizona inkjet print will make its way into Earth’s orbit, with around 100 Arizona-printed food packages to be shipped by cargo rocket to the International Space Station (ISS) at the bidding of an Italian astronaut.
Following the demands of an Italian astronaut, who said he could not live aboard ISS without genuine Italian cuisine, an Italian food processing company was presented with the task of providing packages of dehydrated Italian dishes including parmigiana di melanzane and other national favourites for the astronaut’s 2013 mission to the space station.
However, this was no simple matter. It required the printing and submitting of samples of different polyethylene packaging that was subjected to military-level testing, including temperature variables, checks for resistance and vacuum conditions, plus safety and boiling tests, all vigorously overseen by the various levels of the European Space Agency (ESA).
Using its Océ Arizona 550 GT inkjet flatbed, the company was able to pass all the tests with flying colours. Finally, they received the go-ahead to print some 100 polyethylene packages with the delicacy name, the ESA logo along with the contractor logo and other reference codes.
Steven Badger, Océ product manager for the Océ Arizona in Australia, says that, while many of the details of the project have remained secret at the request of the contractor and the customer, he can jokingly assure the public that all is well on Océ’s space mission.
“In space no one can hear you scream...with delight. However, it’s clear we were able to announce the equivalent of ‘Houston, we don’t have a problem,’” says Badger. “The next frontier for the Océ Arizona is outer space.”