Aussie startup plans to grow plants on the moon

Australian space startup Lunaria One is set to investigate whether plants can grow on the lunar surface, by sending a capsule containing carefully selected seeds, plants, sensors, a camera and water on a commercial lunar lander travelling to the moon in 2024.

The startup is led by Queensland University of Technology (QUT) researcher Lauren Fell, in collaboration with Australian and international institutions including Israeli organisation SpaceIL, whose spacecraft Beresheet 2 will carry Lunaria One’s plant capsule to the moon. Fell said the project will be the first step towards the goal of growing plants for future astronauts living on the moon and beyond, as well as learning new ways to maximise sustainable food production here on Earth.

The types of plants sent to the moon will be carefully selected based on how quickly they germinate and their tolerance to extreme temperature swings experienced in space. QUT plant biologist Dr Brett Williams said Tripogon loliiformis, one of the species considered for the payload, is an Australian native resurrection grass that survives for months without water in harsh conditions and revives as soon as it receives water.

“Even after losing more than 95% of its relative water content, the dead-looking grass remains alive and pre-existing tissues flourish when provided with water,” Williams said.

“The seeds and resurrection plants can survive in a dehydrated dormant state and will be carried in a hermetically sealed chamber on the lunar lander and, we hope, germinate and reactivate upon watering.”

QUT agricultural biotechnologist Professor Sagadevan Mundree said the resurrection plant suppresses flowering when drying out. “Once it is watered and has rehydrated itself, the plant … quickly seeds and flowers, so we will gain important information about plants’ ability to survive and thrive from this experiment,” he said.

After landing on the lunar surface, the plants’ growth and general health will be monitored for 72 hours and data and images will be beamed back to Earth. Citizen scientists and schoolchildren from around the world will be invited to use the data to conduct their own experiments to identify which plant varieties have the best chance of growing on the moon.

“The cameras and sensors in the container will provide data on plant growth and health that we can compare with our control experiments here on Earth and make available on our website along with data from participating schools and universities,” Fell said.

The project’s science adviser, Associate Professor Caitlin Byrt from the Australian National University (ANU), said plant propagation is critical for food security on Earth and in space, and that the mission presents a unique opportunity to determine the types of plants that could tolerate harsh environments.

“Our planet is facing extreme conditions from climate change which present challenges for how we manage future food security. We need to be creative and pioneering in how we manage to propagate plants to prosper,” she said.

“This project is important for developing propagation systems relevant to challenges here on Earth. This includes the creation of controlled environments that enable communities to rapidly propagate plants after natural or climate-related disasters.

“If you can create a system for growing plants on the moon, then you can create a system for growing food in some of the most challenging environments on Earth.”

Image credit: iStock.com/HaiGala

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