Europe to Experiment with Producing Food in Orbit

The European Space Agency (ESA) will test the possibility of producing tasty and familiar food for astronauts directly in orbit. In the longer term, such technology could be useful in implementing missions to study the Moon, Mars and other space objects.

Image source: German Rivera De La Torre / Unsplash

The project is being implemented by the British company Frontier Space together with Imperial College London. It involves growing the main components of food in laboratory conditions – proteins, fats, carbohydrates and other substances. After obtaining these ingredients, food will be prepared from them. If successful, the experiment will significantly reduce the cost of astronauts’ food, which currently costs about $26,000 per person per day.

The first stage is planned to use SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket to launch a satellite into orbit with a bioreactor containing genetically modified yeast cells. After the spacecraft returns to Earth, scientists will study the yeast’s condition. This is expected to lead to the creation of a bioreactor capable of growing essential food components in space. The spacecraft will be launched into orbit next year.

Scientists believe that it will be possible to prepare various dishes from components grown in a bioreactor using a device resembling a 3D printer. Specialists from Imperial College are already developing recipes. Among the experimental dishes are meatballs with sauce, which one of the British astronauts has already managed to test.