Modular Plant Cultivation Systems for Food Autonomy in Lunar and Martian Missions

As NASA’s Artemis program and ESA’s Terrae Novae roadmap move towards sustained human presence on the Moon and Mars, achieving food autonomy for extended missions becomes critical. Deep-space missions present significant challenges, particularly as missions extend in duration and distance, making it increasingly difficult to supply astronauts with everything they need from Earth.

The objective of Spaceship FR team at CNES (French Space Agency) is to develop innovative technological bricks for the future Moon and Mars bases, leveraging the expertise and technologies of its partner network.

Orius and the CNES have collaborated to design a modular, controlled environment agriculture (CEA) system capable of : 

• Cultivating fruits and vegetables by recreating the ideal biome—an ecosystem optimized for each plant species.
• Meeting targeted caloric objectives for a crew of four astronauts.
• Ensuring steady and sustainable production throughout mission duration.
• Providing dietary diversity, enabling astronauts to enjoy fresh food even in space

We initially conducted experiments on the cultivation of fruits and vegetables, with the main results published in a previous article: link.

This second study extends those experiments by incorporating high-yield, nutrient-dense crops optimized for space-based cultivation systems.

It also explores the use of byproducts as substrates for mushroom growth, while collecting robust data on plant development and environmental interactions, with a particular emphasis on edible biomass production and gas exchange dynamics.

Towards Providing 50% of Daily Caloric Intake

Our research expands the capabilities of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) by introducing high-yield, nutrient-dense crops suited to space-based cultivation systems.

The study pursues the design and implementation of a modular, multi-layered cultivation system capable of continuously supplying over 50% of the daily caloric intake required by a four-person crew.

High-calorie, nutrient-rich crops were carefully selected, including:

• Cereals: wheat, millet
• Legumes: lentils, kidney beans, peanuts

These crops complement vegetable production, enhancing both nutrition and food security options for long-duration missions.

Byproducts as Subtrate for Mushroom Cultivation

The production of cereals and legumes generates a significant number of byproducts, many of which can serve as high-value substrates for mushroom cultivation.

• All by-products from harvested crops were quantified to estimate annual substrate volume.
• This data allows for planning the cultivation of Oyster mushrooms, which provide protein and essential vitamins critical in our production model.

Gas exchange for ECLS connection

The airtight design and advanced sensor of our equipment enable precise monitoring of matter and energy flux, offering detailed insights into CO₂ and O₂ exchange between plants and the atmosphere.

It enables modeling of CO₂ recycling into oxygen, essential for supporting life-support systems.

Additional measurements include transpiration, water usage, nutrient consumption, electrical consumption, and labor requirements, providing critical insights for optimizing resource efficiency and scalability in controlled-environment agriculture systems.

What’s next in our spatial adventure ? 

• Expanding crop diversity: We will explore additional crop varieties to enhance dietary options and optimize cultivation efficiency in space.
• Studying space environment effects: Using our in-house gravity simulator Gravilab, we will investigate how gravity influence yield, plant health, and metabolite production.
• Overcoming technical challenges: We aim to address processing, scalability, and operational challenges to make space agriculture more practical and sustainable.
• Optimizing molecular composition: Leveraging Orius’ expertise in enhancing active compounds in medicinal and cosmetic plants, we will explore ways to produce nutrient-rich superfoods with optimized molecular profiles for astronaut nutrition.

Want to learn more? Discover the full paper here : link