The U.S. space agency says the International Space Station will soon have a new water system, allowing up to six people to live aboard the orbiting lab.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said the new water recovery system is the second part of a comprehensive life support system for the station. It's scheduled to fly aboard space shuttle Endeavour on STS-126 that's targeted for launch later this year.

Recycling will be an essential part of daily life for future astronauts, whether on board the space station or living on the moon, said Mike Suffredini, the ISS program manager. Delivering this hardware is an important step in achieving the station's full potential, allowing … more scientific research.

By recycling water, the system reduces the station's dependence on Earth resupply by cutting the amount of water and consumables needed to be launched by about 15,000 pounds a year. Through a series of chemical treatment processes and filters, the new system creates water clean enough to drink, NASA scientists said.

NASA engineers and scientists at Hamilton Sundstrand Space Systems International Inc. in Windsor Locks, Conn., led the design and development of the water recovery system.

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