NASA, International Partners Advance Work on Space Crops

NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, and the German Aerospace Center signed a joint statement of intent to begin coordinated, preparatory work toward an Earth-based demonstrator to learn how to grow crops on the Moon. The work is framed as essential to helping astronauts travel farther and stay longer in space.

The Lunar Agriculture Module-Ground Test Demonstrator (LAM-GTD) aims to develop the technologies needed to grow space crops and study how they perform under atmospheres and controlled environments similar to those expected during missions at Moon Base.

Through Moon Base, NASA and its partners plan to build infrastructure to support an enduring human presence near the Moon's South Pole, advancing science and technology while preparing for future human missions to Mars. Space crops would provide deep-space crews with whole-food nutrition and increase dietary variety, and they can also absorb carbon dioxide, produce oxygen, and recycle water. Those capabilities will become increasingly important as human missions extend farther from Earth. A PDF of the LAM-GTD joint statement is available for download.