The space race is back on! National agencies and private companies are all striving to explore the cosmos, with many planning long missions to Mars. But how will astronauts stay fed on such long journeys? In the past, they relied on freeze-dried packages, but those missions only lasted months, and the food wasn’t exactly delicious.
Fortunately, culinary experts are coming up with creative ways to avoid boring, non-nutritious space food. Here are ten of their most amazing ideas.
Farmbots That “Smell” How Their Plants Are Growing
The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space is testing ways to grow varied and nutritious food in space, not just the same old freeze-dried meals. One method involves farmbots—machines that do what farmers do on Earth. These robots plant seeds, control watering, treat crops, and harvest them. They use digital sensors and AI to monitor plant growth.
Scientists in Melbourne have even created an e-nose that “smells” scents from plants to check their needs. They’re also using facial recognition to see how astronauts react to the food and how microgravity affects taste.
This technology is still on Earth, but with more space travel planned, farmbots might take off soon.[1]
3D-Printed Pills Inspired by Willy Wonka
The Australian project is also working on microencapsulated pills that can be 3D printed, inspired by Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. In Roald Dahl’s book, Wonka turns a meal into chewing gum with flavors that hit the tongue at different times. Similarly, the scientists compress organic material into a pill that releases tastes over time to recreate the sensation of a meal.
These multi-flavor pills are still being developed, and so far, no one has turned into a giant blueberry![2]
3D-Printed Steak Made from Plastic Waste
Another 3D-printing project turns plastic waste into edible treats. Astronauts would collect plastic, shred it, and put it into a bioreactor where engineered bacteria convert it into biomass.
Engineer Anja Contractor came up with this idea. His company, Beehex, which develops 3D food printer systems, is funded by NASA and the U.S. Army. In 2023, Contractor showed how a shipping container could produce steak or chicken breasts from plastic.[3]
Veggie on the International Space Station
NASA’s Vegetable Production System, or Veggie, can’t feed the entire International Space Station (ISS), but it lets scientists study gardening in microgravity and allows astronauts to add fresh food to their diets.
Veggie is about the size of carry-on luggage. Plants grow in fertilizer and clay pillows, and LEDs provide light. So far, crews have grown lettuce, mustard, kale, and Chinese cabbage. They hope to grow tomatoes, peppers, and antioxidant-rich berries to combat radiation.[4]
Multi-Story Vertical Farming
In the late 1990s, Dr. Dickson Despommier from Columbia University began working on vertical farms, similar to multi-story buildings with each floor growing crops. This allows farmers to control conditions for each plant.
Space missions require carefully engineered conditions and have limited space. Vertical farming is a game-changer for astronauts, and it could also benefit us on Earth. It uses less water and land, and one vertically farmed acre can produce as much crop as four to six acres in soil. It’s more sustainable, and the growing season lasts all year long.[5]
Growing Cress in Moon Soil
In 2022, scientists grew plants in moon soil for the first time. Researchers at the University of Florida planted thale cress seeds in lunar soil collected from Apollo missions and were thrilled to see them sprout.
The cress grew in all samples, but it was smaller and slower than the control group and showed signs of stress. Still, the team is excited, as it could help establish lunar colonies. Robert Ferl noted that showing plants can grow in lunar soil is a huge step forward.[6]
Artificial Burgers Made of Fungi
Space agencies are investing in food solutions for long space missions. In 2021, NASA and the Canadian Space Agency launched the Deep Space Food Challenge, asking culinary scientists to find new ways to make food in space.
In May 2023, Kernel Deltech, a spin-off of Eternal Bioworks, presented fried cheese and burger bites made from Fusarium venenatum, a fungus also found in Quorn.
The team grows and harvests fungi in microgravity using compact bioreactors, creating a protein-rich gray powder transformed into snacks.[7]
Solein: A Protein Powder Formed from Microbes
Kernel Deltech isn’t the only innovator in the Deep Space Food Challenge. Solar Foods, a Finnish company, has developed Solein, a microbe-based powder (not Soylent Green!).
Solein is grown from edible bacteria that metabolize hydrogen gas, a by-product of life support machines extracting oxygen from water. Solar Foods uses this gas to grow Solein protein powder, which can be turned into almost any food. They’ve recently made fortune cookies out of Solein.[8]
Growing Mushrooms through Artificial Photosynthesis
Nolux is innovating fungi growth. Scientists have found a way to grow oyster mushrooms without sunlight, using liquid hydrocarbon acetate produced on space missions by converting CO2 and water.
Originally, Nolux researchers wanted to genetically alter algae to boost biofuel production, but it was too expensive. However, they laid the groundwork for growing mushrooms with acetate. They say a 70-cubic-foot reactor could produce 18.7 pounds of food per day.[9]
Aleph Farms’ 3D-Printed Beef
In September 2019, scientists grew artificial meat in space for the first time using 3D-printed cow cells.
Aleph Farms, an Israeli food company, developed the technique. They extracted cow cells and transferred them to a nutrient broth. Soyuz MS-15 flew the broth and cell mixture to the International Space Station, where cosmonauts used a magnetic printer to replicate the cells and create artificial “meat.” The beef samples returned to Earth a week later.
The experiment produced only a small amount of meat, and the taste wasn’t great. But Aleph Farms proved they can create meat in microgravity, which has many potential uses.
This technology could provide protein for astronauts on long missions and also feed people on Earth. Cultured meat uses ten times less land and water than livestock agriculture, offering a more sustainable way to produce meat.[10]
From farmbots to 3D-printed steaks, these ten innovations are paving the way for sustainable food production in space and on Earth. As we continue to explore the cosmos, these advancements will be crucial for feeding future generations.
What do you think of these space food innovations? Leave your comment below!
