A pioneering experiment aimed at growing lab-grown food in space has been launched into orbit as part of a European Space Agency (ESA) mission, with potential implications for future long-duration space exploration. The project, initiated to assess the viability of producing food in the low gravity and high-radiation environment of space, was sent aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and is expected to orbit Earth for around three hours before descending to splash down off the coast of Portugal.

This ESA-funded research seeks to address the exceptionally high costs of providing food for astronauts, currently estimated at up to £20,000 per person per day on missions such as those aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The team behind the project envisions this as a first step toward establishing a small pilot food production plant on the ISS within two years. According to Dr Aqeel Shamsul, CEO and founder of Bedford-based Frontier Space, which is collaborating on the project alongside researchers from Imperial College London, the ultimate goal is to develop manufacturing facilities in orbit and on the Moon.

"Our dream is to have factories in orbit and on the Moon," Dr Shamsul explained to BBC News. "We need to build manufacturing facilities off world if we are to provide the infrastructure to enable humans to live and work in space." He highlighted the practical benefits of cultivating lab-grown food beyond Earth, suggesting that instead of transporting large quantities of freeze-dried or pre-packaged meals, space missions could produce nutrient-rich foods locally. "We could start off simply with protein-enhanced mashed potatoes on to more complex foods which we could put together in space," he said. Looking further ahead, Dr Shamsul envisaged using 3D printing technology to create varied meals such as steaks directly onboard.

Lab-grown food, also known as cultured or cellular agriculture, involves cultivating food components like proteins, fats, and carbohydrates from cells in test tubes or bioreactors. While lab-grown chicken is already commercially available in countries such as the United States and Singapore, lab-grown steak awaits regulatory approval in places including the UK. On Earth, this technology is being promoted for its potential environmental benefits, including reduced land use and lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional farming methods.

In space, however, the motivation is primarily economic and practical. Conventional methods of resupplying astronauts with food are highly costly and logistically challenging. As space agencies including NASA, ESA, and private companies plan to establish permanent bases on the Moon, orbiting stations, and eventually Mars, supplying food for increasing numbers of astronauts becomes a critical issue. Dr Shamsul underscored this by saying, "That will mean sending up food for tens and eventually hundreds of astronauts living and working in space – something that would be prohibitively expensive if it were sent up by rockets."

The experiment employs a miniaturised bioreactor containing a genetically engineered yeast-based "brick-coloured concoction" undergoing a process called precision fermentation—a method akin to beer fermentation but involving genetically modified organisms to produce specific nutrients. Dr Rodrigo Ledesma-Amaro, Director of Imperial College’s Bezos Centre for Sustainable Proteins, described the technology as capable of producing all necessary food elements: "We can make proteins, fats, carbohydrates, fibres and they can be combined to make different dishes."

The bioreactor, miniaturised for the mission, is aboard Europe’s Phoenix spacecraft, a commercial returnable satellite. After orbiting Earth, the sample will be recovered and analysed to determine how the cultured cells fared under space conditions. The findings will guide the design of larger bioreactors planned for launch in the following year.

Transforming the lab-grown ingredients into appealing meals is another area of focus. Jakub Radzikowski, a culinary education designer at Imperial College, is tasked with developing recipes that astronauts will find familiar and enjoyable. While regulatory approvals for using lab-grown ingredients are still pending, Jakub is experimenting with starches and proteins from naturally occurring fungi to create dishes aligned with diverse cultural tastes. "We want to create food that is familiar to astronauts who are from different parts of the world so that it can provide comfort. We can create anything from French, Chinese, Indian. It will be possible to replicate any kind of cuisine in space," he told BBC News.

Jakub demonstrated preparations of spicy dumplings with dipping sauce as part of the development, with contributions from British astronaut Helen Sharman, the UK’s first astronaut and a PhD chemist, who serves as a taste tester.

The mission brings together scientific innovation and culinary expertise to explore how humanity might sustain itself during extended space habitation, potentially opening the door to more comfortable and diverse diets for astronauts venturing beyond Earth.