Space Farming

Grow fresh food for astronauts and tourists thanks to farming in space. Farming in space, space agriculture.

Updated: 2024-02-24

Created: 2018-11-01

Status

Lots of experiments performed and planned. Small quantities tasted. NASA's Deep Space Food Challenge and overlap with terrestrial vertical farming has resulted in the popularity of this application. Advanced Plant Habitat onboard ISS. Lettuce grown on the ISS is as nutritious as Earth harvests.

Applications

Fresh food for long term space missions.
Psychological effect from surrounding plants and greenery.
Microgravity enhanced genetic plant engineering for Earth.
Year-round self-contained crop growing systems for Earth (vertical farming).
More efficient food growing on Earth.

Why & Solution

Space gardening will be essential someday if space travelers are to go beyond low-Earth orbit or make more than a quick trip to the moon. They can’t carry on all the food they need, and the rations they do bring will lose nutrients. So astronauts will need a replenishable stash, with extra vitamins. They’ll also require ways to make more oxygen, recycle waste, and help them not miss home so much. Space gardens can, theoretically, help accomplish all of that.²

In order to improve astronauts’ well being on long-duration missions such as on a Moon base or on a mission to Mars, food plays an essential key role. Besides a source for nutrition, fresh food evokes through all the senses of smell, touch and taste memories of general happiness and home.¹

The movement of heat, water vapor, CO2 and O2 between plant surfaces and their environment is also affected by gravity. In microgravity, these processes may also be affected by reduced mass transport and thicker boundary layers around plant organs caused by the absence of buoyancy dependent convective transport. Future space farmers will have to adapt their practices to accommodate microgravity, high and low extremes in ambient temperatures, reduced atmospheric pressures, atmospheres containing high volatile organic carbon contents, and elevated to super-elevated CO2 concentrations. Farming in space must also be carried out within power-, volume-, and mass-limited life support systems and must share resources with manned crews.³

Veggie and other systems aboard the space station are helping researchers figure out how radiation and lack of gravity affect plants, how much water is Goldilocks-good, and how to deal with deplorables like mold. Just as important, scientists are learning how much work astronauts have to put in, how much work they want to put in, and how plants nourish their brains as well as their bodies.²

Microgravity enhanced genetic plant engineering. In the low gravity environment of space, the transfer of genetic information from one kind of plant to another is enhanced due to lack of gravity induced buoyancy and convection effects.⁵

In 2020, NASA Selected Five Research Projects Designed to Improve Crop Habitats
In support of NASA’s goals for human exploration and sustained presence on the Moon and beyond, new spaceflight-based agriculture systems are needed to provide astronauts nutrition through freshly grown crop plants. NASA selected five teams of investigators to develop an improved water/nutrient delivery system and automated plant-spacing approaches for growing multiple generations of crop plants in spaceflight.
Through a combination of space biology science and engineering, the selected projects will develop, test and verify new concepts for water and nutrient delivery sub-systems. Scientists will also study and test approaches for automatically changing the spacing between the growing plants to enable research in very confined spacecraft environments. These are two key elements for developing plant habitats that are compatible with the microgravity condition of spaceflight and limited available space for crop plant production in spacecraft and lunar surface human habitats.
The following projects were selected for award:

Design, monitoring and management approaches for the root-zone in microgravity.
Microgravity crop production: Meeting the challenges of water/nutrient delivery, volume management, and providing diet diversity for the International Space Station.
Evaluation of the porous tube and on-demand water and nutrient delivery systems for food production in microgravity.
Staticaponics: Targeted electrostatic deposition of water and nutrients on plant roots.
Variable plant spacing with astro garden nutrient delivery and recovery.

EneMiSInFood (Energy-efficient, Microwave-assisted Sterilisation of In- Space Food) is one of the winners of Space Exploration Masters and it is a microbiological safety solution for food produced in space. It uses a highly energy-efficient and compact technology to deactivate and destroy microorganisms that could degrade the quality, taste, and edibility of this biomass. The EneMiSInFood system could be used by astronauts in orbit for the microbiological deactivation of both food and food waste, as well as for microwave cooking in a future implementation. The most important value offered by the system is the compact, energy-efficient deactivation and destruction of microorganisms on space-grown food, which can enable storage without active refrigeration. The technology could also be transferred to energy-poor households/cases.

Companies

Air Company

Air Company page at Factories in Space

We are a carbon utilization company working with industries to create planetary change. Our patented and proprietary AIRMADE™ Technology takes Earth's excess CO2 and converts it into carbon-negative alcohols and fuels.

Manufactured Foods. Carbon dioxide exhaled by astronauts is captured from air and combined with hydrogen, and via water electrolysis, produces alcohol, which is then fed to a type of edible yeast that fully consumes it to make proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.

One of the 11 finalists in Phase 2 of the Deep Space Food Challenge in January 2023.. The U.S. teams each receive $20,000.

One of the 8 winning teams in the second phase of Deep Space Food Challenge. The U.S. teams will each receive $150,000 in prizes from NASA and advance to compete for up to $1.5 million in total prizes from NASA in Phase 3. Air Company of Brooklyn, New York, developed a system and processes for turning air, water, electricity, and yeast into food.

Air Protein

Air Protein page at Factories in Space

Air Protein is a modern meat company, crafting the world’s first air meat to feed us sustainably,

Air Protein™ is on a mission to feed our growing population with foods made from air-based protein.

Using a proprietary probiotic production process, the protein found in air-based meat is a new form of sustainable protein created from elements found in the air we breathe and it has an amino acid profile comparable to meat protein.
This process can make food in a matter of hours not months, and independently from weather conditions and seasons. This revolutionary new protein source will result in the most sustainable meat on the planet.

Air Protein is pioneering a new category of food production - air-based protein - a solution to feed our growing population without the strain on natural resources. The revolutionary technology that Air Protein leverages has been profiled on the TED stage and recognized by Forbes and the Wall Street Journal.

These are natural single-cell organisms that act like plants in the way in which they convert carbon dioxide into food. Air Protein, a Kiverdi spin-off company, has created the world’s first air-derived meat using this method.

Air fermentation begins with the same building blocks that all plant life needs to grow–air, water, and renewable energy.

Aleph Farms with 3D Bioprinting Solutions

Aleph Farms page at Factories in Space

Aleph Farms' aim is to produce non-genetically modified food, which means using natural processes to grow meat to mimic the way it would develop in a cow.

Cells were taken from cows. Next, the small-scale muscle-tissue was placed under zero-gravity conditions and assembled in a 3D bioprinter. The technique could be used to feed astronauts in the space station in the future.

"In space, we don’t have 10,000 or 15,000 litres of water available to produce 1kg of beef," said Mr Toubia. “We are proving that cultivated meat can be produced anytime, anywhere, in any condition.”

Together with research partner at the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering at the Technion — Israel Institute of Technology, Aleph Farms has successfully cultivated the world’s first slaughter-free ribeye steak, using three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting technology and natural building blocks of meat — real cow cells, without genetic engineering and immortalization. With this proprietary technology developed just two short years after we unveiled the world’s first cultivated thin-cut steak in 2018 which did not utilize 3D bioprinting, we now have the ability to produce any type of steak and plan to expand our portfolio of quality meat products.

Unlike 3D printing technology, our 3D bioprinting technology is the printing of actual living cells that are then incubated to grow, differentiate, and interact, in order to acquire the texture and qualities of a real steak.

Aleph Farms experiment was selected to be part of ‘Rakia’ Mission to space, led by the Ramon Foundation and the Israel Ministry of Science and Technology. One of 44 experiments to be chosen, it will be launched to the International Space Station as part of Axiom Space Ax-1 Mission, pending NASA and Axiom approval, together with the second Israeli in space, Eytan Stibbe, at the beginning of 2022.

This will be Aleph Farms’ second trip to space, following a successful ISS experiment in 2019. In this new experiment we will focus on tackling the challenge of cultivating the cells in microgravity. Aleph’s space program, Aleph Zero, builds upon our mission to produce quality meat locally, even in the most remote places on Earth with minimal natural resources. When people live on the Moon or Mars, Aleph Farms will be there as well.

Israeli foodtech startup Aleph Farms is a leader in the cultured lab-processed meat industry where it uses cow cells to produce meat in a lab, and has previously launched an experiment to space in 2019. Its experiment will test the potential of pluripotent stem cell differentiation of cattle and the formation of muscle tissue embedded in hydrogel, where astronauts will examine the rate of cell division in microgravity, and attempt to grow cow cells for cultured meat in space. Aleph Farms has partnered with SpacePharma, Indian Space Applications Centre, European space agencies, and scientific high tech startup accelerators.

Our space program, Aleph Zero, is part of our mission to produce quality, delicious meat, independent of climate or availability of natural resources.

AlgaBloom International

AlgaBloom International page at Factories in Space

AlgaBloom designs, builds, and operates highly scalable photobioreactors that harness the power of algae and produce high value bio-ingredients.

A Programmable Microalgae Cultivation Platform for Sustainable Food Production in Space.

Alginity

Alginity page at Factories in Space

Autonomous food and oxygen supply at a lunar base.

Our adventurous bioreactor consists of the integration of all the parameters for algae growth and harvesting into a single control unit. Alginity will present a system that provides food while producing oxygen for astronauts.

The extreme demands of space will provide a great starting point for a new kind of bioreactor that can be used (following optimisation) for the pigment market, where the demand for high-value elements is currently undersupplied.

Phase 1: Bake. Aug 2020. Demonstrate the baking of various crumb-free food items and bread samples through a space-ready oven.
Phase 2: Knead. Sep 2020. Demonstrate the kneading of flour with water to create raw dough in microgravity.
Phase 3: Grind. Jul 2021. Demonstrate the grinding of grain to flour in microgravity.
Phase 4: Harvest. Sep 2021. Demonstrate the harvesting and separation of plant and grain in microgravity.
Phase 5: Grow. Jul 2022. Demonstrate the growth of grain to create a regular supply of grain for three bread rolls.
Baking to Cooking. Jan 2023. Other food experiments related to cooking and baking in microgravity.

Bake In Space was a startup that sought to "address the scientific and technical challenges relating to the production of fresh food in space in order to improve the wellbeing and comfort of humans travelling beyond Low Earth Orbit."

Their mission is below:

In order to improve astronauts’ well being on long-duration missions such as on a Moon base or on a mission to Mars, food plays an essential key role. Besides a source for nutrition, fresh food evokes through all the senses of smell, touch and taste memories of general happiness and home.

Our initial goal is to conduct a series of technology demonstrations related to the production of fresh bread aboard the International Space Station (ISS). This entails recreating the value chain from growing grain to baking bread in micro-gravity. The experiment is split up into 5 phases, which will be realised on future astronaut missions to the ISS in order to advance our goal of food self-sustainability in space. Bake in Space will generate commercialisable spin-offs that will benefit us here on Earth.

BeeHex

BeeHex page at Factories in Space

BeeHex is a NASA spin-off company. The founder worked on a project to develop a 3D Food Printer system that can personalize food for astronauts during long-duration space missions.

In 2016, the founding team identified newer applications of 3D Food Printing for the bakery industry and formed the company to commercialize the core technology.

NASA Astronauts Can Now 3D-Print Pizzas in Space.

Funded by a grant from NASA, the purpose of this invention was to create a way for astronauts to select and produce delicious food for themselves on missions. As manned missions to Mars become an ever-increasing possibility, astronauts might be spending much more time in space.

Manufactured Foods. A Universal Food Fabricator (UFF) that can dehydrate plants and cultured meats into powder form foods, store them into hermetically sealed cartridges to elongate shelf life (5+ years) and fabricate food using stored food in cartridges when needed.

BigRedBites

BigRedBites page at Factories in Space

A symbiotic system of cyanobacteria, yeast, mushrooms, and plants, with a processing unit to yield fresh and nutritious produce to meet 15% of daily caloric requirements. Innovations like 3D printed artificial soil and symbiotic co-dependence enable maximum utilization of each subsystem’s waste and minimal external inputs.

A team of six graduate students in food science, mechanical engineering and biological engineering is among the winners of Phase 1 of the NASA Deep Space Food Challenge, an international competition that seeks novel food technologies to provide safe, nutritious foods for long-duration space missions to the moon, the International Space Station and eventually to Mars.

The student team, named BigRedBites in a nod to Cornell and Mars, developed a compact symbiotic food system concept that produces mushrooms, fresh vegetables and plant-based meat alternatives in various sizes and textures, such as patties, meatballs and chips, and provides approximately 15% of an astronaut’s daily calorie requirements.

Bistromathic

Bistromathic page at Factories in Space

Bistromathic is an automatic food production machine that ensures astronauts enjoy an Earth-like experience of eating during long space missions. It produces food with rich textures and appropriate moisture in different shapes and forms. Bistromathic is a robust and reliable food production technology that aims to provide nourishment for space exploration missions

Blue Horizon

Blue Horizon page at Factories in Space

We want to become a global leader in bio engineering developing and using earth and space technology for the profit of mankind.

We select and grow micro organisms (bacteria, micro algae, fungi, lichen and their combinations) that can adapt to and change many environmental conditions on Earth and other planets.

Creation of biological soil crusts (BSC) through spraying biomatrix on deserted land. BSC will become the basis for arable land / local food production and forest plantations.

3D printing from renewable resources for future deep space missions.

Canacompost Systems

Canacompost Systems page at Factories in Space

The Outpost: Space Composting With Black Soldier Flies. Phase 1 winner of Canada Deep Space Food Challenge.

Leonard Audibert of Canacompost Systems is using black soldier flies to reuse and "upcycle" waste. "The cool thing about insects is you can make a lot of them." He said flies could generate compost to help make Martian soil fertile. The flies could feed chickens or fish or even be ground up for humans — although he said flies aren't yet approved for human consumption.

CemVita Factory

CemVita Factory page at Factories in Space

Through a sustainable, economical, nature-inspired approach, we empower companies with technological solutions to decrease their carbon footprint, reverse climate change, and create a brighter future for themselves and the planet.

CO2 Utilization platform mimics photosynthesis to produce nutrients and pharmaceutics for deep space exploration and industrial chemicals and polymers for energy sustainability.

Our technology offers a state-of-the-art versatile and self-regenerative system for producing many of the necessary substances for human planetary exploration including nutrients and pharmaceutics.

Connectomix

Connectomix page at Factories in Space

Develop a food production system for the Moon that will benefit Earth.

As humanity takes its next committed steps into our solar system, we need a new way to manufacture food in space. At the same time, innovation in food systems for space applications will have a direct impact on sustainable food production on Earth. Some of the most promising food techs center on microbes, because microbial food systems utilize only a small fraction of the resources relative to plants.

We are excited to announce that Connectomix and the European Space Agency are collaborating on a study aimed at increasing humanities access to deep space. Connectomix is collaborating with ESA to calculate how much energy is needed for oxygen production facilities on the Moon.

Cosmic Eats

Cosmic Eats page at Factories in Space

Cosmic Eats’ all-in-one food solution delivers a delicious, high nutrition food supply with low disruption risk. For further security, Cosmic Eats’ system operates with minimal dependencies on external resources.

The COSMIC EATS solution consists of plant, fungal and algal food production modules combined into one multi-modular system.

Cosmic Eats is one of 18 teams to win Phase One of the competition.

"Our concept is a food production system that can be used onboard spacecraft," Shah explained. "So, our production system consists of three modules that are based on growing plants, growing algae, and growing fungi.
You can have a cosmic taco that's made out of plants, algae, and fungi," Shah added. "So, combined in a way to make a really cool, very nutritious, and very interesting food product for crew members or you can make a cosmic smoothie."

Deep Space Ecology

Deep Space Ecology page at Factories in Space

Cultivate a better world through robust, self-sufficient agro-ecological systems for the deep spaces of Earth and our solar system, or for your back yard and local farmers. Our mission is to make food accessible to everyone on Earth, Mars, and beyond.

Building sustainable space habitation and technology that can improve current life on Earth. By combining the knowledge base from millennia of farming with the latest scientific theories on ecosystems, the DSE team has developed an innovative, modular system that enables food production under conditions of resource scarcity and supply chain dysfunction in even the most extreme locations.

Deep Space Entomoculture

Deep Space Entomoculture page at Factories in Space

The production method involves a self-contained device designed to generate foods from insect cells. Dry-preserved insect cells will be transported into space, re-activated in a suspension bioreactor with simple ingredients, and used to produce muscle and fat biomass that emulates traditional meat products.

That all-encompassing potential for insect-cell cultivating is encapsulated in the name of the Tufts proposal: Deep Space Entomoculture. Natalie Rubio, EG21, coined the word entomoculture for her Ph.D. thesis (“entomo” is the Greek root for insects). She is the first graduate student in the Kaplan Lab to focus specifically on the possibility of growing insect cells for food production. She did this by applying tissue engineering techniques to cells from insects. The techniques had previously been developed for mammal cells for regenerative medicine, which promotes the repair or replacement of injured cells, tissues, or organs.

Hilton (DoubleTree by Hilton) with Zero G Kitchen

Hilton (DoubleTree by Hilton) page at Factories in Space

At DoubleTree by Hilton, we pride ourselves on hospitality that’s out-of-this-world. That’s why we’re embarking on a mission to make our signature, warm DoubleTree cookie the first food baked fresh in outer space.

Hilton becomes first hospitality company to participate in research on the International Space Station, as astronauts successfully baked DoubleTree chocolate chip cookies in landmark science experiment.

This first-of-its-kind experiment took place over the course of several days as a result of a partnership with Zero G Kitchen, proprietors of the first space oven, Nanoracks, a leading provider of commercial access to space, and DoubleTree by Hilton.

The first batch of cookies in space have been baked in a zero-gravity oven, but the astronaut bakers didn’t even get to try them. Instead, three of the five cookies returned to Earth on one of SpaceX’s Dragon capsules on January 8 and were moved to cold storage in Houston.

But in a nice bonus, the International Space Station smelled like warm, fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies during the experiment in December. On December 26, NASA astronaut Christina Koch tweeted that they had space cookies and milk available for Santa on the station.

Husband and wife duo Ian and Jordana Fichtenbaum, founders of Zero G Kitchen, developed the first zero-gravity oven that arrived on the space station in November.

They joined forces with Nanoracks, the leading provider of commercial access to space, and DoubleTree by Hilton, the leading provider of gooey chocolate chip cookies to hotel guests, to send hospitality and innovation to the ISS.

Ecoation Innovative Solutions

Ecoation Innovative Solutions page at Factories in Space

CANGrow Modular Indoor Food Production System.

Eden Grow Systems

Eden Grow Systems page at Factories in Space

Providing sustainable food and energy independence to local communities around the world, and one day, off it!

Eden Grow Systems has been selected by the United States Air Force (USAF) for a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award for its development of a groundbreaking aeroponic technology, which will provide reliable, high-quality sustenance for United States Space Force (USSF) operatives working in remote, and sometimes inhospitable locations. Dubbed "Worldwide Aeroponic Towers for Nutrition with Enhanced Yields," (or, "WATNEY"), this new technology combines cutting-edge, NASA-developed artificial intelligence (AI)-controlled aeroponics robotics with patented, closed-system designs, both of which work together to produce a diverse variety of nutrient-dense foods in remote locales.

Electric Cow

Electric Cow page at Factories in Space

Converts CO2 and waste streams straight into food, with the help of a food grade micro-organisms and 3D printing.

Enigma of the Cosmos

Enigma of the Cosmos page at Factories in Space

Leafy & Microgreen Food production system with an adaptive growing platform using telescopic grow channel system to support plants natural growth cycle, increasing efficiency of the growing space by adjusting the grow area according to the plants needs and in return increasing the efficiency by a minimum of 40%.

One of the 11 finalists in Phase 2 of the Deep Space Food Challenge in January 2023.. NASA and CSA jointly recognized three international finalist teams from outside the U.S. and Canada.

One of the 8 winning teams in the second phase of Deep Space Food Challenge. NASA and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) also jointly selected three international teams as Phase 2 winners. These three teams are invited to advance their technologies in Phase 3. Enigma of the Cosmos of Melbourne, Australia, created an adaptive growing system to increase the efficiency of plants' natural growth cycles.

Growth Systems. Leafy & Microgreen Food production system with an adaptive growing platform using telescopic grow channel system to support plants natural growth cycle, increasing efficiency of the growing space by adjusting the grow area according to the plants needs and in return increasing the efficiency by a minimum of 40%.

Explaneta Space

Explaneta Space page at Factories in Space

Explaneta Space Solutions is a practice-oriented think tank dedicated to developing smart solutions to improve habitability aspects on long duration space missions.

GREEN//CASE is a portable mini-greenhouse that can be completely 3d printed at an extra-terrestrial outpost, thus saving payload weight and costs.

It’s main aim is not to produce additions to the crew’s meal plan or conduct scientific experiments; the greenhouse is designed to allow each crew member their very own green space, to tend to at their leisure and harvest the psychological benefits.
GREEN//CASE can be set up in private quarters with minimum space requirements or taken along on long rover journeys. While big-scaled greenhouses can support the habitat’s life support systems and food generation, GREEN//CASE works to raise habitability in personal quarters and help the astronauts to maintain important emotional balance.

Far Out Foods

Far Out Foods page at Factories in Space

The Exo-Garden is a nearly closed-loop self-contained food production system, which is capable of producing a variety of fresh mushrooms and hydroponic vegetables.

One of the 11 finalists in Phase 2 of the Deep Space Food Challenge. The U.S. teams each receive $20,000.

Growth Systems. The Exo-Garden is a nearly closed-loop self-contained food production system, which is capable of producing a variety of fresh mushrooms and hydroponic vegetables.

GreenOnyx

GreenOnyx page at Factories in Space

Develops fresh greens filled with nutrients and dietary supplements, will grow a water-based lentil plant under microgravity conditions in an autonomous growing facility. The leaves will be tested as food in space, and be produced in a controlled group where their growth rates will be analyzed.

Hefvin

Hefvin page at Factories in Space

Hefvin grows fruit cells in nutrient rich media and uses spherification to encapsulate different cell types into an edible berry structure with skins and pulp. The technique produces berries rich in flavor, color and aroma.

InFynity

InFynity page at Factories in Space

Bioculture / Hybrid. InFynity produces high-protein, nutritious, delicious foods using microbial biomass grown in a novel bioreactor, which has been designed to operate both in space and on Earth in a sustainable way.

One of the 11 finalists in Phase 2 of the Deep Space Food Challenge in January 2023. The U.S. teams each receive $20,000.

Interstellar Lab

Interstellar Lab page at Factories in Space

Sustainable cultivation solutions on Earth and regenerative life-support in space.

Our space program:

A few years from now, we will able to send a BabyDome to Mars… Interstellar Lab's BioPod prepares for plant cultivation on the Moon. The unique creation is an inflatable environmentally controlled plant cultivation pod with a resilient and modular design that is intended to go beyond the earth’s surface.

Plant Growth. NUCLEUS is a modular bioregenerative system that produces fresh microgreens, vegetables, mushrooms, and insects to provide micronutrients for long-term space missions. It combines several autonomous phytotrons to create a self-sustaining food production system that minimizes water, air, and nutrient inputs.

One of the 11 finalists in Phase 2 of the Deep Space Food in January 2023. Challenge. The U.S. teams each receive $20,000.

Growth Systems. NUCLEUS is a modular bioregenerative system that produces fresh microgreens, vegetables, mushrooms, and insects to provide micronutrients for long-term space missions. It combines several autonomous phytotrons to create a self-sustaining food production system that minimizes water, air, and nutrient inputs.

One of the 8 winning teams in the second phase of Deep Space Food Challenge. The U.S. teams will each receive $150,000 in prizes from NASA and advance to compete for up to $1.5 million in total prizes from NASA in Phase 3. Interstellar Lab of Merritt Island, Florida, created a modular bioregenerative system for producing fresh microgreens, vegetables, mushrooms, and insects.

NUCLEUS

Modular bio-regenerative system that produces fresh microgreens, vegetables, mushrooms, and insects, providing a nutritious diet for long-term space missions.

In 2021, it won Phase I of NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Deep Space Food Challenge and two weeks ago, Interstellar Lab submitted the Phase II proposal.

It consists of 9 modules called Quarks, 6 for food production and 3 for system components, and is plugged into a centralized distribution network for electricity, irrigation and climate control. All that is in a pathogen-free and balanced system for efficient food production.

NUCLEUS paves the way towards permanent settlements in space or vertical farming solutions on Earth.

JPWORKS

JPWORKS page at Factories in Space

Chloe NanoClima® is the innovative technology for growing nanoplants and microgreens in single, contamination-proof and autonomous ecosystems optimizing resources and work time providing the safest, quickest and most nutritious vegetable superfood.

KEETA

KEETA page at Factories in Space

A 3D printed food system that utilizes output from an interdependence micro ecosystem to create varieties of nutrient rich food. The ecosystem is composed of producers, insects, and decomposers. The insects will be high in protein, vitamins and minerals, while also providing a wide variety of flavors.

Kernel Deltech

Kernel Deltech page at Factories in Space

The Kernel Food Production System is an autonomous device that produces an inactivated fungal biomass from well-defined starting materials.

One of the 11 finalists in Phase 2 of the Deep Space Food Challenge in January 2023.. The U.S. teams each receive $20,000.

One of the 8 winning teams in the second phase of Deep Space Food Challenge. The U.S. teams will each receive $150,000 in prizes from NASA and advance to compete for up to $1.5 million in total prizes from NASA in Phase 3. Kernel Deltech USA of Cape Canaveral, Florida, developed a system for cultivating mushroom-based ingredients.

Growth Systems. The Kernel Food Production System is an autonomous device that produces an inactivated fungal biomass from well-defined starting materials. It achieves biomass production by using a continuous cultivation technique adaptable to low-gravitational conditions where the culture variables are tightly controlled to maximize biomass yield and product safety.

LTCOP (Laboratory of Tissue Culture Ornamental Plants)

LTCOP (Laboratory of Tissue Culture Ornamental Plants) page at Factories in Space

Produces fresh food (vegetables and fruits — strawberry and taioba) on Mars conditions and in transit.

The vertical panels can be used to produce fresh food under artificial light and operational constraints. In this system, we can control plant nutrition with fertigation and fruit carotenoids levels adding terpene to the process. The tissue culture laboratory is included in the system to supply and maintain the germplasm bank.

Micro Meat

Micro Meat page at Factories in Space

Enhanced production technology for cultivated meat pioneers.

Micro Meat, a pioneer in the alternative protein industry, and Orbital Assembly (OA), developer of space-based business parks with variable gravity, have signed a memorandum of understanding to co-develop cultivated meat production systems in space.

Under the agreement, Micro Meat will install its proprietary meat production equipment aboard OA’s Pioneer-class space station to provide food for space station personnel. The Pioneer-class stations are the world’s first and largest hybrid space stations for both work and play and will be the first free-flying, habitable, privately-operated facility in orbit. The project will give Micro Meat the opportunity to enhance the efficiency of its production process and make it more of a scalable protein production system on earth.

µBites

µBites page at Factories in Space

A microbial-based next-generation food production system called μBites, which will utilize plastic and biomass waste as the carbon source for food generation.

NASA has selected a research team at Southern Illinois University Carbondale to work on a machine that would use microbial processes and recycled carbon to provide tasty, nutritious food to astronauts on future deep space voyages.

NASA recently selected the SIU team’s µBites (pronounced “micro-bites”) design as one of 18 nationwide showing promise. The SIU team, led by Lahiru Jayakody, assistant professor of microbiology, will receive $25,000 to pursue its phase two design for NASA’s Deep Space Food Challenge.

Mission: Space Food (Astreas) with Aleph Farms, Astreas

Mission: Space Food (Astreas) page at Factories in Space

Combining Space and Food Science Technology with Experiential Design to Fuel Cosmic Exploration. Mission: Space Food is a consortium of space, food and technology experts creating an integrative approach to human nutrition in space.

Powered by Aleph Farm’s technology platform and Astrea’s culinary and engineering expertise, we design new space foods to help astronauts thrive in space.

Mission: Space Food is inventing the technology to enable multi-sensory pleasure of food in weightlessness, making meals more enticing and healthy for space crews.

In space, astronauts' senses of smell and taste are impeded, meaning that even recipes they typically love on earth tend to taste bland in zero gravity. More pleasurable food experiences can have important benefits for astronauts' overall wellbeing, health, and for collaboration among them.

To address this gap, Mission: Space Food is leveraging food science to develop the recipes and food technology to create enticing meals and snacks for astronauts.

Redefining the multi-sensory pleasure of food in space. Scientific solutions to build healthy eating habits for life.

We're a food innovation company redefining the modern diet by creating next-generation products that don't compromise between great taste & nutrition.

NASA Deep Space Food Challenge

Phase 1 US winner receiving $25,000 from NASA.
Bio Culture. The project builds upon the proven and reliable pre-packaged food system but also leveraging the exciting new prospects of food production in space. The project will cultivate meat from pluripotent stem cells using cell cryopreservation and bioreactor. This method would allow crew to produce meat with almost x1,000 less inputs compared to pasture-based cattle farming. The system can be adapted to grow other meats such as pork or lamb, further expanding the choice of food proposed.

Mu Mycology

Mu Mycology page at Factories in Space

Bioculture / Hybrid. Forever Fungi is a closed-loop, modular, liquid media mushroom cultivation system that allows for continuous growth and harvest of various edible fungal fruiting bodies.

Innovative Mushroom-Growing Technology.

One of the 11 finalists in Phase 2 of the Deep Space Food Challenge in January 2023.. The U.S. teams each receive $20,000.

Mycorena

Mycorena page at Factories in Space

Since its founding in 2017, Mycorena has become one of the fastest-growing companies in the food industry and is recognised as one of the leading Foodtech start-ups in Europe.

Bioculture / Hybrid. A highly-nutritious, complete fungal protein that feels and tastes like meat, with multifaceted space exploration potential including: A fully dry rehydratable format for easy transport; on-site low-gravity production possible through adapted bioreactors; and ability to use organic waste streams as carbon sources.

One of the 11 finalists in Phase 2 of the Deep Space Food Challenge in January 2023. NASA and CSA jointly recognized three international finalist teams from outside the U.S. and Canada.

One of the 8 winning teams in the second phase of Deep Space Food Challenge. NASA and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) also jointly selected three international teams as Phase 2 winners. These three teams are invited to advance their technologies in Phase 3. Mycorena of Gothenburg, Sweden, developed a system that uses a combination of microalgae and fungi to produce a microprotein.

On a mission to change the entire food industry, Mycorena develops innovative fungi technology to provide next-generation food ingredients. The flagship product Promyc is a proprietary mycoprotein ingredient with unparalleled qualities. The superior qualities of Promyc in terms of taste and texture compared to plant-based proteins make it a serious contender in the alternative protein segment.

Natufia x Edama

Natufia x Edama page at Factories in Space

A closed-loop, indoor farming technology, consisting of a hydroponics system, composting solution, and macroalgae farming, all integrated seamlessly into a larger automated system.

Noblegen

Noblegen page at Factories in Space

In our first phase of commercialization we have reinvented the world’s approach to food & agriculture. Our next phases of commercialization include biomaterials, health, energy, and space, among other industries.

Noblegen is an advanced digital biology company that employs microorganisms to reshape the world’s linear food systems with efficient and affordable circular solutions.

SEuPS – Space Euglena Production System.

Nolux

Nolux page at Factories in Space

An artificial photosynthetic system that is capable of producing plant- and fungal-based foods independent of biological photosynthesis.

One of the 11 finalists in Phase 2 of the Deep Space Food Challenge. The U.S. teams each receive $20,000.

One of the 8 winning teams in the second phase of Deep Space Food Challenge. The U.S. teams will each receive $150,000 in prizes from NASA and advance to compete for up to $1.5 million in total prizes from NASA in Phase 3. Nolux of Riverside, California, created a solution that mimics the photosynthesis that happens in nature to produce plant- and mushroom-based ingredients.

Bioculture / Hybrid. An artificial photosynthetic system that is capable of producing plant- and fungal-based foods independent of biological photosynthesis.

Orbital Farm

Orbital Farm page at Factories in Space

We develop large Closed Loop Farms to grow food + vaccines anywhere on Earth today and in Space tomorrow.

The future of food production is not about wide open pastures and reliance on steady stable climate, it's about climate independent agriculture, it's about farms that not only produce fresh fruits and veggies but also clean energy, fish, biopolymers, medicines, vaccines and cellular agriculture all while recycling every nutrient possible.

These farms recycle almost all the water and nutrients within the system so that they can grow food in deserts or northern climates which are the areas that are energy rich with renewable energy resources.

What types of Foods?

Plants
We will aim to grow all types of foods. As we look to build farms around the world, we can't just grow lettuce and basil. We must develop systems which can grow all types of crops, from rice to corn and even medicinal and nutraceutical plants. We need to develop climate independent growing systems to preserve all types of foods. Not all will begin today but each project we develop will have a uniqueness from the area of which it can contribute to the global knowledge pool.

Seafood
Fish play an important role in our ecosystems as they are one of the most efficient converters of feed into food with healthy proteins and useful oils. In addition to a source of protein, the fish provide the nitrogen our plants require in the greenhouses.

Vegan Proteins
We will produce proteins in many forms, from Salmon and Trout to shrimp, to single cell proteins which can be blended into protein rich breads, pastas, or even using high moisture extrusion to be made into burgers and sausages. We will produce animal and fish feed products which will help to save the oceans from the fishmeal and fishing industries which aid in collapsing ocean ecosystems.

Cellular Agriculture
We will produce the nutrients which will enable the cellular agriculture industry to thrive, scale and grow.

PeaPod Technologies

PeaPod Technologies page at Factories in Space

We're developing sustainable and innovative agricultural technologies for research and food production. PeaPod is an open-source automated plant growth environment that can precisely simulate any environment to grow any plant.

Project PeaPod is an open-source initiative focussed on developing precision agriculture technologies for distributed data collection, crop performance optimization, as well as terrestrial and space food production.

We aim to partner with academic, private, and public institutions to expand human agricultural and botanical knowledge, while making food production more accessible.

PeaPod integrates with CloudPonics for remote configuration and monitoring, thus creating the ultimate tool for citizen-science agricultural research.

This design was submitted to Phase 1 of the NASA/CSA Deep Space Food Challenge, and was selected as one of 10 winning designs in Canada to move on to prototype a space-ready food production system for Phase 2.

Project MIDGE

Project MIDGE page at Factories in Space

The Modular Inflatable Dynamic Growth Environment is a new approach to growing food in challenging circumstances and is designed to deploy anywhere and grow just about anything.

La Crescenta resident Jake Zawacki Goff was one of 18 national winners of the NASA Deep Space Food Challenge. The Challenge invited teams or individuals to create novel and game-changing food technologies or systems that require minimal inputs and maximize safe, nutritious and palatable food outputs for long-duration space missions, and which have potential to benefit people on Earth.

His Project MIDGE (Modular Inflatable Dynamic Growth Environment) – a self-contained garden to grow food in space or in any environment with harsh conditions – won him $25,000 and a spot in Phase 2 of the challenge in which he is presently hard at work. Additionally, NASA won the rights to the first bid.

RADICLE-X

RADICLE-X page at Factories in Space

RADICLE X employs passive and smart modular growing system, produces nutritious and variable fresh food for deep space missions. The lightweight system is deployable in multiple habitats and greenhouse configurations, is built upon a patented Hybrid Hydrotechnology which delivers maximum yields from minimal amounts of water, energy and astronauts’ time.

Red Planet Farms

Red Planet Farms page at Factories in Space

Red Planet Farms aims to become the first people to grow staple crops on Mars. Feeding human colonies of the future is a cornerstone of our mission to become the number one leading innovator in food production.

By providing automated growing systems that can be used during Space travel or on Lunar bases; we are eliminating the requirement for reliance on resupply from Earth. Red Planet Farms growing systems can be used by our partners in the private industry and government organisations.

By developing advanced technology for feeding humans off-world, our findings directly improve our Vertical Farms here on Earth. This helps us improve food security worldwide and combat Climate Change.

Redwire

Redwire page at Factories in Space

Redwire Space is accelerating humanity’s expansion into space by delivering reliable, economical, and sustainable infrastructure for future generations.

Space Food

Space infrastructure company Redwire Corporation will develop the only commercially owned and operated spaceflight-qualified plant growth platform in space, the so called Redwire Greenhouse, the company said. The platform is expected to launch to the ISS in spring 2023.

REDWIRE GREENHOUSE Product Description.

Science Missions

MVP-PLANT-01 - MVP-PLANT-01 is an investigation launching on SpaceX-24 that will use Redwire’s Multi-Use Variable-Gravity Platform (MVP) to profile and monitor shoot and root development of plants in microgravity to understand the regulatory mechanisms involved in plant responses to a novel environment. MVP-PLANT-01 can contribute designing plants to withstand extreme terrestrial environments and long-duration spaceflight. The investigation will also validate Redwire MVP Phytofuge experiment modules for future plant investigations on the ISS. The Phytofuge module is one of several different experiment modules developed for use in conjunction with the MVP facility. The modules were developed by Redwire engineers to enable early-stage seedling plant growth in a variable gravity environment.

Veggie PONDS-03R - Also launching on SpaceX-24 is Veggie PONDS-03R, a technology demonstration that explores how plants respond to microgravity and demonstrates technology for reliable vegetable production on orbit. This flight will also validate the Passive Orbital Nutrient Delivery System (PONDS) hardware, which was originally developed by Tupperware Brands and validated by recently acquired Techshot. The PONDS hardware is designed for flight inside NASA’s Vegetable Production System (Veggie) facility. PONDS can grow a wide variety of plants in space and requires far less monitoring and maintenance time from flight crews than other passive plant growth devices.

Unlocking the Cotton Genome to Precision Genetics - Also as part of the SpaceX-24 mission, Redwire is working with researchers from Clemson University to support the Unlocking the Cotton Genome to Precision Genetics (Plant Habitat-05) investigation, which will utilize the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH), an automated plant growth facility managed by Redwire that is used to conduct bioscience research aboard ISS. The investigation will cultivate several cotton genotypes from cotton plant tissue cultures exposed to spaceflight. This project is sponsored by the ISS National Lab and stems from a previous Cotton Sustainability Challenge. The knowledge gained from the investigation could enable the growth of cotton plants that more efficiently use water and adapt to changing environments.

Sierra Space (Sierra Nevada Corp, SNC)

Sierra Space (Sierra Nevada Corp, SNC) page at Factories in Space

We are building a platform in space to benefit life on Earth. Reusable automated cargo lifting-body spaceplane (Dream Chaser), space station (Orbital Reef) and inflatable modules (LIFE).

Space Food

In March of 2014, Veggie, a modularly designed vegetable production plant growth unit, developed and built in partnership with Sierra Space and Kennedy Space Center, was integrated by NASA aboard the International Space Station (ISS). This system provided sufficient lighting for plant growth making it possible for to successfully grow red romaine lettuce. After a safety analysis in 2015, U.S. astronauts were able to eat fresh produce for the first time on-orbit.

The eXposed Root On-Orbit Test System (XROOTS) investigation uses hydroponic and aeroponic techniques to grow plants without soil or other growth media. Video and still images enable evaluation of multiple independent growth chambers for the entire plant life cycle from seed germination through maturity. Results could identify suitable methods to produce crops on a larger scale for future space missions.

Dragon CRS-2 SpX-26 had onboard are Red Robin dwarf cherry tomato seeds for the Veg-05 experiment. This experiment is part of the ongoing research from Veggie, a modularly designed vegetable production plant growth unit, developed and built in partnership with Sierra Space and Kennedy Space Center.

SIRONA NOMs

SIRONA NOMs page at Factories in Space

Sustainable Integration of Regenerative Outer-Space Nature and Agriculture Novel Organic Meals (SIRONA NOMs) is a small-scale bioregenerative system that grows a variety of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and fish with minimal inputs and waste products.

NASA's Deep Space Food Challenge Phase 1 US & International Winners! NASA has awarded 18 US Teams $25,000 each and formally recognize the top 10 scoring International Teams.

Solar Foods

Solar Foods page at Factories in Space

Natural protein production anywhere by using air and electricity.

We are introducing a game-changing natural protein for the global food industry. Produced from CO2, water, and electricity, our unique pure single-cell proteins are independent of agriculture, weather and the climate. They open a new world of unimaginable protein choices while creating new sustainable food diversity.

Manufactured Food. Single-cell protein production by means of gas fermentation.

The process takes a single microbe, one of the billion different ones found in nature, and grows it by fermenting it, which is also called a bioprocess. We feed the microbe like you would feed a plant, but instead of watering and fertilising it, we use mere air and electricity. With our current process, this is 20x more efficient than photosynthesis (and 200 times more than meat).

By using fermentation to grow protein, the bioprocess of our first protein product Solein® may not be traditional, but it is natural. And the best part? It won’t run out.

We are currently working on developing and building the first version of our bioreactor that would fit into a space vessel and produce Solein on mission. While our first commercial-scale facility Factory 01 will scale production up, the space vessel bioreactor is a prime example of how we can also scale down and recreate the bioprocess in much less space. When it comes to LEO (Low Earth Orbit) missions, a solution like this saves money: less rockets are fired up for supply runs leaving more resources and budget for other things.

One of the 11 finalists in Phase 2 of the Deep Space Food Challenge in January 2023. NASA and CSA jointly recognized three international finalist teams from outside the U.S. and Canada.

Manufactured Food. Single-cell protein production by means of gas fermentation.

One of the 8 winning teams in the second phase of Deep Space Food Challenge in May 2023. NASA and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) also jointly selected three international teams as Phase 2 winners. These three teams are invited to advance their technologies in Phase 3. Solar Foods of Lappeenranta, Finland, created a system that uses gas fermentation to produce single-cell proteins.

SolSys Mining

SolSys Mining page at Factories in Space

We are developing systems for beneficiation of raw materials to enable agriculture, construction and production in space. Space Resource Beneficiation & Exo-agriculture systems.

We are developing beneficiation tools and systems that can be used in space to enable in-situ resource utilization.

Our goal is to supply this future sector with the tools needed for efficient extraction and processing of space resources.

Resource Processing

We are developing systems for beneficiation of raw materials to enable agriculture, construction and production in space. Transporting materials from Earth into space has a high cost, and to enable future missions and settlements in space resources already in space should be utilized when possible. To use resources that already exist in space, new technologies for comminution, screening, sorting and separation will have to be developed.

Agriculture Systems

We are researching the use of lunar regolith for plant nutrients in space agriculture. Growing plants for food and oxygen in space will be critical for future long-term missions to the moon. Many valuable plant nutrients already exist in lunar regolith, and we are developing systems for extracting these nutrients to use for hydroponic agriculture. In addition we have developed our own 3d-printed hydroponic growth systems.

The ‘Enabling Lunar In-Situ Agriculture by Producing Fertilizer from Beneficiated Regolith’ project, led by Solsys Mining with Norway’s Geotechnical Institute (NGI) and Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Space (CIRiS), involves studying a combination of mechanical, chemical and biological processes to extract mineral nutrients from the regolith. Valuable elements might need concentrating before use, while undesirable ones would be removed.

The left of this artist’s impression shows a mechanical sorting area for the regolith, passing through to the central module for more advanced processing, such as chemical leaching. Finally extracted nutrients would be dissolved in water to be pumped to the hydroponic garden, right.

Space Bread

Space Bread page at Factories in Space

Space bread is a food system that allows astronauts to make bread in space. A multifunctional plastic bag allows crew members to store, combine, and bake all the ingredients in the bag to create a ready to eat yeast risen roll.

Hope Hersh has her sights set on something out of this world—freshly baked bread for astronauts.

As a plant molecular and cellular biology doctoral student in the UF/IFAS College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Hersh wanted to help solve problems that astronauts encounter in space. When submissions were requested for the Deep Space Food Challenge, hosted by NASA and the Canadian Space Agency, Hersh led a team that devised a way for astronauts to have freshly baked bread on their space expeditions.

After a ten-month long process, Team Space Bread was one of 18 U.S. teams move on to the next step in the competition. Each team received $25,000 and the option to continue developing their technology in Phase II.

Space Lab Technologies

Space Lab Technologies page at Factories in Space

The purpose of Space Lab is to sustainably advance human space exploration through space science research and technology development.

Space Crop Production Systems

Space Lab® Café is a compact vertical farm that continuously produces a variety of nutritious produce with minimal water, power, waste or processing time. It operates with or without gravity, in a Lunar, Martian or spacecraft habitat, while providing farm-to-table solutions for Earth’s urban centers or remote, harsh environments.

Space V (Space-V, SpaceV)

Space V (Space-V, SpaceV) page at Factories in Space

Development of innovative greenhouses for the cultivation of plants in orbital stations and in future Martial and Lunar settlements.

S pace V is an innovative start-up, a spin-off of the University of Genoa; it owns the international patents of the “Adaptive Multilayer Greenhouse” (AMG) architecture, which holds the promise of greatest efficiency in producing fresh vegetable food in space settlements.

SpaceV stands for Space Vegetables or Space Veg in short.

The distinctive feature of the AMG greenhouse is its capability of progressively moving the distance between the cultivation shelves of the vertical farm according to the level of plants growth, maintaining distinct microclimates for each shelf, thus maximizing the production yield per unit volume and unit time, greatly reducing the overall energy usage.

Vertical Adaptive Greenhouses Farm (VAGF) is a cutting-edge technology that has the potential to revolutionize agriculture in space.

Space Zab (SpaceZab)

Space Zab (SpaceZab) page at Factories in Space

Spinoff company from the futuristic research cluster of Thailand (FREAK lab). Our mission is to develop advance technology for deep space exploration and human living in space.

Our flagship technology is an award winning liquid/semi-liquid 3D printer for edible and non-edible materials in mid 2019 (with China Space Exploration), and 2020 (China Space Exploration).

Beyond our main technology, our experience and connections allow us to launch the payload design/research service as our side product. This provides opportunities for other companies and research institutes to work with us on space missions. We also provide on-ground simulated microgravity experiment for advanced researches using in-house designed clinostat or random positioning machine. (CS-01)

We have developed advance technologies for space exploration. Our flagship product is the novel liquid/semi-liquid 3D printer for edible and non-edible materials for space, which take into account the micro-gravity effect on materials. Our technology will allow for the fabrication of precision/personalized food and medicine in space.

Space Naem

An investigation of Thai fermented pork (Naem) under microgravity condition in collaboration with FREAK lab, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi.

Clinostat

Weightlessness with just a click. Space often feels distant from us. Microgravity only feels accessible when you’ve gone away from Earth’s surface, and that couldn’t be further away from the truth. Our Clinostat: CS-01 is a microgravity simulator that when calibrated, can be easily operated with just a clicks. All of it, on Earth.

3D Space Food Printer

The future of consumption. In the future, no matter how far into space we are, human biology would remain quite the same; we still need to eat. But food isn’t as easy to access in space. So what if we can create food from raw nutrients and 3D print them in space. We can add any flavours, medicine, and nutrients that are all completely personalized to your needs and likings.
This idea -now made into real prototype- earned us awards and recognition from National Space Exploration (NSE), GISTDA, NSTDA, and Chinese Space Expiration Organization.