First microbes blast off testing production of food for space travel
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First microbes blast off testing production of food for space travel
by Sophie Jenkins
London, UK (SPX) Apr 23, 2025
Scientists from Imperial College London have embarked on a mission to test how engineered microbes can help sustain future spacefarers on interplanetary voyages.
As space agencies and private companies aim for distant planets, the logistics of carrying food, water, and fuel become increasingly costly and complex. Feeding one astronaut in orbit can cost up to Pounds 20,000 per day. To address this, researchers are exploring the potential of engineered yeasts that, through precision fermentation, could manufacture essential supplies in space.
Leading this effort is Dr Rodrigo Ledesma-Amaro from Imperial's Department of Bioengineering, working in collaboration with Cranfield University and industry partners Frontier Space and ATMOS Space Cargo. Their joint venture recently launched a compact biomanufacturing lab into Earth orbit to investigate whether these microorganisms can thrive and function in microgravity.
Dr Ledesma-Amaro, affiliated with the Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein and the Microbial Food Hub at Imperial, brings expertise in creating eco-friendly, nutritious, non-animal foods. He emphasized the transformative potential of this research: "We dream about a future where humanity heads off into the dark expanses of space. But carrying enough to feed ourselves on the journey and at our destination would be unimaginable in cost and weight. We're excited that this project makes use of academic and industry expertise in physics, engineering, biotech and space science - converging on this challenge. If just a handful of cultivated cells could provide all our food, pharmaceuticals, fuels and bioplastics using freely available resources, that would bring the future closer."
The team's miniaturized laboratory, designed as a self-contained "lab-in-a-box," traveled to space carrying the yeast samples. After its return to Earth, researchers will analyze how microgravity, space transport, and storage conditions affect the microbes' functionality.
Aqeel Shamsul, CEO of Frontier Space, highlighted the broader implications: "This mission represents a major milestone in democratizing access to space research. Our SpaceLab Mark 1, 'lab-in-a-box' technology enables researchers to conduct sophisticated experiments in microgravity without the traditional barriers to space-based research. This project represents a significant opportunity to mature Frontier's technology, providing bio-experimentation solutions for space environments with the future space infrastructure post International Space Station."
Findings from this mission could pave the way for innovations in sustainable food production, space pharmaceuticals, and autonomous manufacturing systems crucial for deep space exploration.
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