Throughout history, humanity has consistently aspired to reach for the stars. Today, the space industry is poised to become an integral part of our economy. So now, the race is on to work out how to feed humans on Mars. Enter space farms. Nicole Buckler reports.
Space farms: Agriculture beyond our planet
Farming in space has been on human minds for more than a decade. Take for example, Professor Wieger Wamelink. He is at the forefront of a pioneering endeavour that involves cultivating crops as if we were farming in the cosmos. And he has been doing this for more than ten years.


Wamelink’s underground farm on Mars
Currently, in his lab in the Netherlands, he plants green beans, potatoes, and various other food crops in specially formulated soil that mimics the chemical and physical composition of Martian soil, based on samples collected from the red planet. He is slowly working out how to be a farmer on Mars. A side-by-side comparison reveals intriguing insights.
Green beans grown in Martian soil simulant appear remarkably similar to their earthly counterparts, although slightly smaller and with fewer roots. Currently, over 25 different crop species are thriving under these conditions, with potatoes standing out as particularly promising, resembling the ones we harvest from our own fields. We Irish knew we were onto something with our love of potatoes. We would survive well on Mars.
Setbacks of Soil on Mars
It’s not all roses, though. The Martian regolith lacks essential components such as nitrogen and readily available phosphorus. The solution? Recycling human waste. So Wamelink’s team is currently working on a closed-loop system for space where human waste is part of the farming system. Once the closed system is ready to go, then life on Mars will be full speed ahead.
None of this “farming” will happen on the surface of Mars, thanks to the planet’s hostile environment which includes lethal radiation levels, extreme temperatures, lack of oxygen and water, and low gravity. Instead, this vision of space farming will exist in subterranean modules where inhabitants farm vertically, mirroring practices already employed on Earth.
Wamelink’s team isn’t the only one in the race for agriculture on Mars. There are many organisations jostling for space on both the Red Planet and beyond.


Wamelink’s earth beans vs Mars beans.
The earth beans have longer roots and bigger leaves.
Farming machine that grows, harvests and cleans
Among the space trailblazers is the Gaia Project, a startup in Melbourne, Australia. The Gaia Project involves an intelligent crop cultivation module, initially designed for use in space, particularly aboard shuttlecraft. Notably, this groundbreaking project is receiving support from NASA.
It is a mini-farm that does not use robots or human labour, it is totally self-sufficient. More or less, throw the seeds in and come back when the vegetable is ready. It does EVERYTHING. Within this ultra-compact farm, meticulously engineered to control light, temperature, and air quality, team members germinate vegetable and microgreen seeds in a carefully formulated growth medium.
After three weeks of nurturing, the young seedlings are transferred to the main cultivation area, nestled within modular channels. Here, a mobile irrigation device takes charge, providing plants with nutrients, and oxygen, and maintaining optimal pH levels. Waste materials are efficiently expelled, thanks to a self-cleaning system utilising ultraviolet sterilisation.


Gaia Project space farm
Conservation in Space Farms
In the context of space travel, every inch of space and every centimetre of a spacecraft comes at a considerable cost. The Gaia Project’s pioneering technology addresses this challenge head-on by offering astronauts a means to optimise space while minimising water and lighting requirements.
For a crew of four astronauts, the system has been designed to provide daily portions of approximately 150 to 200 grams of a mixture of leafy greens and microgreens. This translates to an average output of 16 to 20 kilograms a month, a crucial contribution to sustaining spacefaring explorers. And now, it is being used on Earth, bringing the benefits of space-inspired agriculture to urban dwellings.
Refrigerator-sized modules, powered by renewable energy sources, can seamlessly integrate into city apartments, providing a continuous supply of fresh leafy greens. This technology has the potential to revolutionise our approach to food supply chains, reducing the need for long-haul truck transportation and minimising the use of pesticides and insecticides. In an era where urban living prevails, this innovation could be the 21stcentury answer to sustainable, homegrown produce.


Gaia Project: how farms will look in space
Aleph: Pioneering sustainable meat in space farms
It’s not only vegetables and leafy greens that scientists are growing in space. A company called Aleph has reimagined beef production in a way that will make it a perfect candidate for space food. Aleph’s foray into space began with a pioneering experiment in 2019. They 3D-bioprinted cow muscle tissue aboard the International Space Station.
They miniaturised their laboratory and sent it to space. The aim was to determine if cow cells could thrive and differentiate in microgravity. The results were promising, showing that reduced gravity had no significant negative impact on cultivated meat growth. After the 3D-printed meat experiment, Aleph are now cultivating steak in the lab — real beef — without the need for vast amounts of water and land. This beats out the needs typically associated with traditional cattle herding.


Aleph Farms on Mars
The process begins by placing cells into a bioreactor, a controlled tank environment that provides the ideal conditions for cell growth. Aleph is not growing an entire cow or devoting resources to raising and feeding livestock. Instead, they focus solely on cultivating the edible portion of beef that humans consume. These cultivated beef steaks are on the cusp of gaining regulatory approval for sale in both Israel and Singapore.


A 3D printed ribeye by Aleph


Cooked 3d ribeye
Singapore, in particular, stands out as a welcoming hub for such innovation and new technologies. This is driven by a lack of farmland. This could revolutionise meat production by enabling it within cities, arid settings, and even on distant frontiers with space farms. Lessons learned from space activities can be applied to improving cultivated meat production on Earth.
Space Farms
As space farmers boldly venture into the cosmos, it is evident that the sky is not the limit but a new frontier for innovation and progress. Discoveries in the process of developing food for space have meant improvements in food tech for here on Earth. We may soon reach a future, where we don’t have farmers, just machines that grow our food and meat for us. Let’s hope they grow ice cream and chocolate as well!


Space steak
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