The capability to reach ultracold atomic temperatures in compact instruments
has recently been extended into space. Ultracold temperatures amplify quantum
effects, while free-fall allows further cooling and longer interactions time
with gravity - the final force without a quantum description. On Earth, these
devices have produced macroscopic quantum phenomena such as Bose-Einstein
condensation (BECs), superfluidity, and strongly interacting quantum gases.
Quantum sensors interfering the superposition of two ultracold atomic isotopes
have tested the Universality of Free Fall (UFF), a core tenet of Einstein's
classical gravitational theory, at the 10−12 level. In space, cooling the
elements needed to explore the rich physics of strong interactions and
preparing the multiple species required for quantum tests of the UFF has
remained elusive. Here, utilizing upgraded capabilities of the multi-user Cold
Atom Lab (CAL) instrument within the International Space Station (ISS), we
report the first simultaneous production of a dual species Bose-Einstein
condensate in space (formed from 87Rb and 41K), observation of
interspecies interactions, as well as the production of 39K ultracold
gases. We have further achieved the first space-borne demonstration of
simultaneous atom interferometry with two atomic species (87Rb and
41K). These results are an important step towards quantum tests of UFF in
space, and will allow scientists to investigate aspects of few-body physics,
quantum chemistry, and fundamental physics in novel regimes without the
perturbing asymmetry of gravity