When it comes to long-term space missions, one of the biggest challenges remains nutrition. Delivering food from Earth to the Moon or Mars is too expensive and technically complex. The European Space Agency (ESA) has found a promising solution: protein powder that can be produced directly in space with minimal resources.
The project is called HOBI-WAN and is part of a larger ESA research program. Its main focus is an innovative product called Solein, developed by the Finnish company Solar Foods. This protein powder is produced by gas fermentation of special microorganisms. Their “fuel” is electricity and components of air.
As ESA scientist Angelique Van Ombergen notes, such technologies are critical to the autonomy and sustainability of future missions. They will enable astronauts to survive far from Earth without relying on regular supplies.
Nutrient waste
Although Solein production technology has already been tested on Earth, adapting it for space requires significant changes. The biggest problem is the source of nitrogen. On our planet, ammonia is used for this purpose. However, in space, it can be replaced by urea, which can be obtained from the crew’s waste products.
Over the next eight months, Solar Foods will work with German company OHB System AG to develop equipment for space testing. If laboratory tests on Earth are successful, the technology will be sent to the ISS.
Why is it so difficult?
The main difficulty lies in the peculiarities of how substances behave in zero gravity. As Arttu Luukanen from Solar Foods explains, there is no natural buoyancy in microgravity. This significantly complicates the processes of mixing gases and liquids, without which it is impossible to provide microorganisms with the necessary nutrients.
That is why the goal of the project is not only to prove that bacteria can grow in space, but also to create, for the first time in history, a working gas fermentation system outside our planet. The success of this mission will pave the way for full-scale food production during flights to Mars and deeper space exploration.
We previously reported on how flies would help NASA grow food on Mars.
According to ESA
