NASA Makes an Offer of $1 Million for Innovative Systems to Feed Future Astronauts

Aerospace and Defense Review | Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Fremont, CA: As NASA prepares to send astronauts deeper into space than ever before, the agency hopes to improve the production of a critical fuel source: food. Giving future explorers the technology to prepare nutritious, tasty, and satisfying meals while on long-duration space missions will provide them with the energy they need to discover the great unknown.

NASA, in collaboration with the Canadian Space Agency, is asking the public to help develop innovative and sustainable food production technologies or systems that use few resources and generate little waste. The Deep Space Food Challenge asks teams to design, build, and demonstrate prototypes of food production technologies that provide tangible nutritional products – or food.

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Food loses nutritional value over time. That means that bringing pre-packaged food on a multi-year mission to Mars will not meet all of the needs for astronaut health. Furthermore, food insecurity is a significant and chronic problem in both urban and rural communities around the world. Food shortages are exacerbated further by disasters that disrupt supply chains. Developing compact and innovative advanced food system solutions through initiatives like the Deep Space Food Challenge could have applications in-home and community-based local food production, offering new solutions for humanitarian responses to floods and droughts, and developing new technologies for rapid deployment after disasters.

"Feeding astronauts over long periods within the constraints of space travel will require innovative solutions," stated Jim Reuter, associate administrator for NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate at the agency's headquarters in Washington. "Pushing the boundaries of food technology will keep future explorers healthy and could even help feed people here at home."

Phase 1 of the challenge concluded in October 2021, when NASA awarded $450,000 to 18 teams for their concepts for innovative food production technology that produces safe, palatable, acceptable, nutritious food products that are stable and of high quality while minimizing necessary resource inputs. Ten international teams were recognized jointly by NASA and the Canadian Space Agency for their winning submissions. The Methuselah Foundation, NASA's challenge partner, sponsored two $25,000 awards to international teams for outstanding innovation. The Canadian Space Agency gave $30,000 CAD to each of the winning teams.

NASA is now inviting both new and existing teams to participate in Phase 2, which will require teams to build as well as demonstrate prototypes of their designs, as well as produce food for judging. Participants from the United States may compete in Phase 2 for a share of a prize pool of up to $1 million.

"We are excited to continue collaborating with the Canadian Space Agency to conduct the next phase of this challenge and identify solutions from across the globe," stated Reuter.

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Top Food Ordering and Delivery Solution Companies in Europe ( All Eat One , Delivery Hero , Just Eat Takeaway.com , Menu Technologies )​

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