To feed the astronauts of Artemis and the future lunar colonists, the space agencies will obviously not be able to content themselves with the only supply missions from Earth. At some point, human beings will have to become partially or even completely autonomous in order to feed themselves. This is all the more true since Mars is the step that will follow the Moon. Several projects are taking place to prepare and initiate lunar agriculture. If China has opened an interesting way, in Europe, the company Solsys Mining is betting on hydroponic agriculture from lunar regolith.
The Artemis programs and Moon to Mars have as final objectives to install the Man on the Moon and on Mars. It goes without saying that these future colonists, whether they are lunar or Martian, will have to feed themselves. If at first they will have food delivered at regular intervals, in a fairly distant future they will have to produce it from the local resources of these two planets.
In 2019, lunar agriculture took “its first steps” with rather successful experiments carried out by China. During the Chang’e 4 mission, which landed on the far side of the Moon, four seeds on board the lander, including rapeseed and potatoes, managed to germinate. Admittedly, they were bundled up in ideal conditions, but this experience showed that the idea of lunar agriculture was not as absurd as it seemed. You should also know that the analysis of lunar samples brought back to Earth during the Apollo missions has shown that most of the essential minerals are available in sufficient quantity for the growth of plants, with the exception of nitrogen compounds. However, lunar soil compacts in the presence of water, causing problems for plant germination and root growth.
Of lunar agriculture without soil and compost
A few days ago, the European Space Agency (ESA) communiqué around the project Enabling Lunar In-Situ Agriculture by Producing Fertilizer from Beneficiated Regolith » of the Norwegian company Solsys Mining convinced to create a fertilizer, from lunar regolith, for a variety of plants in the context of so-called hydroponic agriculture. This type of agriculture involves feeding the roots of plants directly with nutrient-rich water, without the need for soil. The Solsys Mining team is optimistic, having previously grown beans using simulated regolith from the lunar highlands as a nutrient source.
This project convinced the European Space Agency, which decided to fund it in part. Solsys Mining, in collaboration with the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) and the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Space (CIRiS), must demonstrate that it is possible to extract mineral nutrients from regolith through combinations of several mechanical, chemical and biological processes.
This work is “ essential for the future of long-term lunar exploration says ESA materials and process engineer Malgorzata Holynska. Achieving a sustainable presence on the Moon” will involve using local resources and gaining access to nutrients found in lunar regolith that have the potential to help grow plants. The current study represents proof of principle using available lunar regolith simulants, paving the way for more detailed research in the future. ».