Diagnosing and processing data obtained during the "Ekran-M" space experiment will take approximately six months after the materials return to Earth. This was announced by the project's chief designer, Alexander Nikiforov, head of the laboratory at the Institute of Semiconductor Physics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. This is reported by Ixbt.com .
According to him, the cassettes containing structures grown in space are expected to return with the cosmonauts in July 2026, after which detailed analysis processes will begin. Expedition participants Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergey Mikaev completed the orbital work, dismantling the experimental hardware cassette on the "Nauka" module during a spacewalk.
The "Ekran-M" project aims to utilize the space vacuum to obtain ultra-pure semiconductors and test molecular-beam epitaxy technology in open space conditions. Developers estimate that the experiment has successfully fulfilled all primary tasks planned for the current stage.
Currently, the issue of creating additional germanium-based cassettes is being discussed, but the project is still in the preparation phase. The results of "Ekran-M" could provide new data for condensed matter physics and the development of semiconductor heterostructures where crystal growth precision is critical.
Read “Zamin” on Telegram!
