CIMON (pronounced "simon"), the world's first AI-powered astronaut assistant, is returning to the International Space Station. Today, the US freighter SpaceX blasted off carrying on board the robot, which operates with a slight smile on its screen face. However, this time around, it will have a heightened ability to analyze human emotion. With this new update, the voice-controlled, free-flying robot has transformed from a scientific assistant to an empathetic conversational partner, a huge development for AI-powered assistants. "CIMON-2 has more sensitive microphones and a more advanced sense of orientation," explained Till Eisenberg, CIMON Project Manager at Airbus, in a statement.