Cosmic dust is enormously important. Although often only a few nanometres in size, it can have a lasting influence on global cosmic processes, such as star formation, by absorbing and scattering starlight and subsequently emitting radiation. In molecular clouds, the chemical factories of the cosmos, it provides the surface for the formation of molecular hydrogen and biologically important molecules. Dust and molecules are ultimately incorporated into planetary discs and new planets. In order to understand the formation of this matter and to be able to interpret observational data accurately, these astrochemical processes must be simulated in the laboratory under space conditions and the molecular clouds brought into the laboratory.
