Europe Launches Project to produce Protein from Air adn Astronaut Urine in Space
Cologne, Germany – Teh European Space Agency (ESA) has initiated a pilot project, HOBI-WAN, to develop a system for producing protein directly in space using microbes, air, and electricity – and, crucially, astronaut urine. The initiative, announced today, aims to create a sustainable food source for long-duration space missions to the Moon and Mars, where resupply options are limited.
The protein,known as Solein,is a powdered product created by Finnish food technology company Solar Foods through a gas fermentation process. While Solar Foods has successfully demonstrated Solein production on Earth, adapting the technology for space requires adjustments. On Earth,ammonia is used as a nitrogen source for protein synthesis; in space,the project will utilize urea,an organic compound found in urine.
Over the next eight months, Solar Foods will collaborate with prime contractor OHB System AG to refine the technology for space-based testing. Successful ground tests will pave the way for Solein production experiments aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
“For human beings to be able to implement long-duration missions on the moon,or even one day to go to Mars,will require innovative and sustainable solutions to be able to survive with limited supplies,” ESA stated.
arttu Luukanen, senior vice president of space and defence at Solar Foods, explained, “The aim of the project is to confirm that our organism grows in the space surroundings as it does on the ground, and to develop the fundamentals of gas fermentation technology to be used in space – something that has never been done before in the history of humankind.”
Luukanen also highlighted the challenges of microgravity, noting, “the behavior of gases and liquids in microgravity is vastly different due to lack of buoyancy, which can drastically affect the transport of nutrients and gases for Solein microbes.”
The HOBI-WAN project represents a notable step towards self-sufficiency for future space explorers,potentially reducing reliance on costly and logistically complex resupply missions from Earth.
