COMPACT, the next complex plasma facility for the International Space Station (ISS)

The "COMPACT" facility is the most recent development to study complex plasma and related interdisciplinary topics utilizing the unique environment of "microgravity" in Earth's orbit aboard the ISS. As its predecessor experiments, PK-Nefedov, PK-3plus and PK-4, the main focus of COMPACT lies on the study of complex/dusty plasma using state-of-the art technologies for high speed and 3D imaging of large particle clouds resolving the dynamics of the individual particles. COMPACT is further supports experiments related to topics studied by the broader, interdisciplinary research community, who for example study classical 3D multiple-particle systems in the absence of plasma. The study of lunar equivalent dust, its charging and transport, as well as the study of glasses, turbulent motion, crystallization and non-equilibrium thermodynamics can be performed on an quasi “atomic: scale. We present the latest version of the anticipated scientific program for COMPACT as compiled by the science definition team (SDT) together with a status update on the most-recent developments on the facility and its assumed start and mode of operation. We encourage the dusty/complex plasma community as well as the broader science community to consider COMPACT and complex/dusty plasmas as a potential research tool to establish new interdisciplinary cooperations across research fields.