Space agriculture and bioregenerative life support systems (BLSS) are interconnected fields and they help in sustaining long-term space exploration. Space agriculture, in very simple terms, refers to growing plants and crops in space.  Bioregenerative life support systems are artificial ecosystems in which plants and other microorganisms are used to perform functions like carbon dioxide fixation, oxygen production, water purification, waste recycling, and the production of foods, which will be very beneficial for space missions. These support systems aim to mimic life on the Earth’s biosphere.

 

Scope and Demand in the Market

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 The scope of this field is extensive owing to the following factors:

1. Long duration space missions

2. Building habitats for settlement in outer space

3. Commercial space tourism

4. Revolutionising farming on Earth using advanced technology being used for applications in space farming.

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 There is high demand for research in this field right now. Several governmental and non-governmental agencies are heavily investing in space agriculture, such as NASA, ESA,SpaceX and Blue Origin, seeing the potential in harnessing this for building more sustainable ecosystems.

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 Relevance of BLSS and Space Agriculture in Current Times

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 Core functions of BLSS and achieving these through space agriculture:

1. Oxygen generation: Oxygen is released by many plants, algae and even some types of bacteria. Microalgae like Spirullina and Chlorella have proved to be very effective. The oxygen is produced via photosynthesis.

2. Water production and recycling: Plants produce water when they transpire, and this can be collected and used as potable water. Some microbes, along with technological help, can even help in recycling water and ensuring a constant supply.

3. Food production: the most obvious and rather large aspect of space agriculture is most definitely acting as a reliable food source for astronauts.

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 With renewed interest in Moon and Mars exploration, BLSS is critical for enabling long-term human presence in space.

 

Current Developments in This Field

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 NASA has launched the Vegetable Production System, known as Veggie, which is essentially a space garden residing on the space station. The Veggie garden has six plants, and each grows from a “pillow” filled with clay and other nutrients the plants need for survival. So far, cabbages, lettuce, zinnia flowers, red Russian kale and mustard have been grown this way. The aim is to grow more plants with increased antioxidant content, which will be of more use.

 

NASA is also focusing on the development of a prototype system called Ohalo III, to be deployed in 2025. It is the first operational crop production system and prototype for a Mars Transit Vehicle. It aims to continuously grow fresh food to add key nutrients and variety to the crew's diet and check for water delivery optimization.

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