La Trobe University and Gaia Project Australia have become notable contenders in NASA’s Deep Space Food Challenge with their groundbreaking approach to space agriculture. Their innovative project aims to transform food cultivation for extended space missions, including NASA’s Artemis missions to the moon and Mars.
The centerpiece of their project is a vertical farm designed to grow leafy greens and microgreens in just 28 days, a dramatic reduction from the typical three-month growth period required when using soil. This accelerated growth is achieved through a carefully controlled environment, reflecting the combined expertise of La Trobe’s engineering and plant sciences departments and Gaia Project Australia’s team. The collaborative effort, which took six months to develop, showcases a prototype designed specifically for space conditions.
Named Enigma of the Cosmos, the team will represent Australia at the competition finals in Ohio on August 15 and 16, where NASA will determine the winners. Dr. Alex Stumpf, a lecturer in engineering at La Trobe, expressed his pride in the team’s achievement. He highlighted that they are the only Australian team competing among several international entrants. “We are thrilled with the world’s first expandable grow channel vertical farm system we’ve created. It’s been a challenging journey, but we’re eager to see how our system fares in the competition. Regardless of the outcome, we believe the system will have a significant impact here on Earth,” Dr. Stumpf said.
Nadun Hennayaka, the founder and CEO of Gaia Project Australia, outlined the dual benefits of the project. While the primary goal is to ensure astronauts have a nutritious and varied diet, the implications for terrestrial farming are also substantial. “With the rise of high-density urban living and the pressures on traditional farming from soil depletion and erratic weather, vertical farming presents a promising future for food production both on a large scale and for domestic use,” Hennayaka explained. “Growing food without soil and with precise nutrient delivery minimizes crop waste and shields crops from pests, diseases, and adverse weather conditions.”
The efficiency of the system is another notable feature. Traditional farming yields about 15 heads of lettuce per square meter, while advanced robotic greenhouses can produce between 25 and 40 heads. However, the high initial costs of these robotic systems can be prohibitive. The Enigma of the Cosmos system, on the other hand, optimizes space without relying on complex robotics, achieving a yield of 50 to 55 plants per square meter at a fraction of the cost.
Professor Mathew Lewsey from La Trobe’s Institute for Sustainable Agriculture and Food highlighted the educational value of the project. “Gaia’s technology is integral to our training programs for future plant technologists. As part of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space, our students are involved in simulating crop growth during space missions and working on yield improvement. They are applying these insights to develop better crop varieties and growth conditions for vertical farming,” Lewsey noted.
As the team gears up for the final stage of the competition, their work holds promise not only for advancing space agriculture but also for offering innovative solutions to challenges faced by Earth-based farming. This project demonstrates how cutting-edge space technology can have far-reaching effects, potentially transforming how food is grown both on distant planets and in urban environments on Earth.
