Interstellar Lab, a small business with a team spanning France, Texas, and Florida, has secured the top U.S. prize of $750,000 in NASA’s Deep Space Food Challenge. Their winning design, the Nutritional Closed-Loop Eco-Unit System (NUCLEUS), presents an innovative approach to sustainable bio-farming food production in space, crucial for long-duration missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
Source: Interstellar Lab "NUCLEUS" Instagram
The NUCLEUS system is a marvel of innovation, consisting of nine interconnected modules - six dedicated to food production and three for system support. This closed-loop setup can autonomously grow microgreens, vegetables, mushrooms, and even insects, providing essential nutrients for astronauts on extended space missions. Designed to be 90% automated, the system minimises the need for crew intervention, requiring only occasional inspections and maintenance.
The Deep Space Food Challenge, organised by NASA in collaboration with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), aims to tackle the unique challenges of food production in space. While traditional cargo deliveries have sustained astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) with dehydrated meals, future missions will necessitate systems like NUCLEUS enabling astronauts to grow their own food.
Source: CSA - Deep Space Food Challenge Winners
The competition attracted over 300 teams from 32 countries, showcasing a variety of innovative solutions. Among the U.S. teams, two others received significant recognition: Nolux from Riverside, California, won $250,000 for developing an artificial photosynthesis system that produces plants and fungi without relying on biological photosynthesis. SATED, based in Boulder, Colorado, also won $250,000 for a versatile cooking appliance capable of preparing custom meals from both pre-packed and in-situ grown ingredients.
In the international category, Finland’s Solar Foods took the top spot with their Solein protein, produced using electricity and CO2, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional agriculture. Notably, the Australian-based Gaia Project’s “Enigma of the Cosmos” was named runner-up. Their adaptive growing system for leafy greens and microgreens enhances growth efficiency by 40%, marking a significant achievement in space food production.
These stellar innovations not only aim to sustain astronauts on future space missions but also have the potential to revolutionise food production on Earth, offering solutions to challenges like food insecurity and extreme environmental conditions.
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