The expanded version of the system that will incorporate the possibility of oxygen control (OCS) will include two sensor assemblies including metallized and soldered ceramic tubes made of DEGUSSIT FZY supplied by KYOCERA Fineceramics Europe GmbH. DEGUSSIT FZY is a special material that, due to its ion conductivity, enables precise oxygen measurement at high temperatures. This ionic conductivity can only be achieved through specific adjustment of the composition and the ceramic microstructure. Extensive tests of the assemblies were carried out in advance to ensure their usability and reliability under the extreme conditions of rocket launches and weightlessness. 

The EML uses electromagnetic fields to position suspended floating metal and semiconductor samples. It also allows the materials to be melted, and various material data to be recorded at different temperatures. The process takes place in a vacuum or inert gas atmosphere. Without contact to a crucible wall, which would lead to measurement interference due to the contact between sample and crucible, or the influence of gravity, which may cause convection and segregation processes, material data can be determined more precisely and the behavior of metal alloys and semiconductors in weightlessness can be studied. Samples can be melted at temperatures between 400 and 2000 °C. The material data are recorded using a high-speed camera and a pyrometer (radiation thermometer).

The EML was developed by Airbus Defence and Space and commissioned by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the space management department² of the German Aerospace Center (DLR). The EML is controlled and monitored by the DLR Microgravity User Support Center (MUSC) in Cologne. Since its commissioning, the EML facility has delivered valuable results in the field of materials science research. It will continue to receive support through commissions from ESA and DLR, and expand by incorporating new functionalities.