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Aimed at enabling future generations of Moon settlers to sustain themselves by growing plants for food, the European Space Agency (ESA) project is led by Norwegian firm Solsys Mining.
Analysis of lunar samples returned to Earth has shown that sufficient essential minerals are available for plant growth, apart from nitrogen compounds. Lunar soil – also known as regolith – compacts when water is added, however, creating problems for plant germination and root growth.
Hydroponic farming therefore offers a practical alternative, the ESA said. Hydroponic agriculture involves feeding plant roots directly with nutrient-rich water, without the need for soil.
Regolith could nonetheless play an important part in farming on the Moon, according to the ‘Enabling Lunar In-Situ Agriculture by Producing Fertiliser from Beneficiated Regolith’ project, which also involves Norway’s Geotechnical Institute and Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Space.
The project is studying a combination of mechanical, chemical and biological processes to extract mineral nutrients from the regolith for use as fertiliser. Valuable elements might need concentrating before use, while undesirable ones would be removed.
The artist’s impression of such a system shows a mechanical sorting area for the regolith, which passes through to the central module for more advanced processing, such as chemical leaching. Extracted nutrients would then be dissolved in water to be pumped to the hydroponic garden, shown on the right.
By using readily-available lunar material, the process would minimise the costs and risks of transporting materials from Earth.
“This work is essential for future long-term lunar exploration,” said ESA materials and processes engineer Malgorzata Holynska. “Achieving a sustainable presence on the Moon will involve using local resources and gaining access to nutrients present in lunar regolith with the potential to help cultivate plants. The current study represents a proof of principle using available lunar regolith simulants, opening the way to more detailed research in future.”
The Solsys Mining team is reportedly “optimistic” about the project’s potential, and has already cultivated beans using simulated lunar highland regolith as a nutrient source.
The project is funded by the Discovery element of ESA’s Basic Activities.
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