Cellular Agriculture for Future Human Space Missions

Hollow Fibre Bioreactor technology for culturing meat

STFC funded Proof-of-Concept study for a Cellular Meat Hollow Fibre Bioreactor space demonstrator breadboard

Project Name: Cellular Agriculture for Future Human Space Missions

Customer: ESA (prime contractor) and UKRI (STFC)

Objective: Perform a study and a Proof-of-Concept on cultured meat for future human space missions, in collaboration with a team of UK institutions working on food technology.

Description: 

Activities performed in the study: 1) to assess the capability of the emerging cellular agriculture technologies specifically for cultured meat production; 2) to frame this capability in the context of sustainability, food security and human health safety; 3) to assess the resources needed, the energy balance and potential for a feasible closed loop system; 4) to identify and evaluate the bioreactor technology best suited for utilisation in space. Long term study aim: to support the supply of nutrients in long-term human space missions. Technical objectives of the Proof-of-Concept: to study the implementation of a technological demonstration in KUBIK for a bioreactor aimed to fabrication of cultured meat in microgravity. Following the feasibility study funded by ESA on Cellular Agriculture for Future Human Space Missions, this PoC activity set out to implement a laboratory breadboard model for a system to grow artificial meat in space based on Hollow Fibre Bioreactor (HFB) technology. The breadboard combines the HFB with space qualified components (pumps, medium reservoirs, active enclosures) suitable for deployment on the ISS KUBIK incubator. The system is used in the laboratory to optimise the experimental parameters and protocol for a space demonstrator mission.