The first Italian woman in space has become the world's first orbiting barista.

Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti fired up the first espresso machine in space over the weekend. She posted a selfie on Twitter from the International Space Station on Sunday, sipping from a cup designed for use in zero-gravity.

For the occasion, she put on her Star Trek uniform top and tweeted: "Coffee: the finest organic suspension ever devised. Fresh espresso in the new zero-G cup! To boldly brew ..."

Cristoforetti, who returns to Earth next week after a six-month mission, almost did not get any space coffee. The experimental espresso maker, nicknamed ISSpresso after the space station's initials, was scheduled to arrive in January but did not get to orbit until April because of a shipment backlog.