Space Mission Launches to Grow Food in Orbit from Scratch

A European Space Agency-backed mission is exploring whether lab-grown food can be successfully produced in space, where microgravity and radiation pose unique challenges. If proven viable, the approach could cut the high cost of feeding astronauts, which currently runs up to £20,000 per day per person.

The project is described as a first step toward installing a pilot food production system aboard the International Space Station within the next two years.

According to Dr. Aqeel Shamsul, founder of a private space-tech company leading the initiative in collaboration with researchers at a top London university, “Our dream is to have factories in orbit and on the Moon. We need off-world manufacturing facilities to support human life in space.”

Lab-grown food involves cultivating core food elements—proteins, fats, and carbohydrates—in bioreactors, which are then processed into familiar forms. On Earth, this technique reduces land use and emissions. In space, however, the primary motivation is cost and self-sufficiency.

The current experiment sends a miniature bioreactor, containing genetically engineered yeast, into orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The yeast mixture will remain in orbit for three hours before returning to Earth near Portugal, where it will be collected and analyzed.

“We can make all the elements to build food—proteins, carbs, fats, even fibers, and combine them into various dishes,” said Dr. Rodrigo Ledesma-Amaro, director of the lab behind the project. The fermentation process used is similar to brewing beer, but with precise genetic modifications—known as precision fermentation—to produce nutrients like vitamins directly.

While the material currently resembles a brick-colored paste, a culinary designer, Jakub Radzikowski, is already developing recipes using natural fungi-based ingredients until lab-grown versions are cleared for consumption. “We want astronauts to feel at home through familiar dishes—be it French, Indian, or Chinese cuisine,” he said.

Today’s test dish? Spicy dumplings with dipping sauce, sampled by none other than a former astronaut and chemist, who praised the flavor and potential. “You get a strong blast of taste—it’s absolutely delicious,” she said, recalling the limited, long-life food she had access to during her time in space.

She emphasized the scientific potential: space missions affect astronauts' metabolism, hormone levels, and bone density. Lab-grown food could be tailored to include the necessary nutrients, potentially reducing the need for supplements.

“Astronauts often lose weight due to lack of variety and appeal in their diets,” she explained. “But if they could eat something fresh and wholesome, morale and nutrition would both improve.”