THE EDEN Initiative at the German aerospace center (DLR)

Kurzfassung

Sustaining human life on the Moon and Mars requires reliable, resource-efficient food production systems. In pursuit of this goal, the EDEN Initiative at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) is developing advanced Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) technologies for bioregenerative life support systems (BLSS), which are essential for long-duration space missions. In particular, the EDEN ISS greenhouse—a testbed demonstrated in Antarctica’s extreme conditions—has proven the feasibility of cultivating fresh produce using hydroponics and state-of-the-art plant monitoring technologies as an analog for future lunar and Martian missions. In 2023, the EDEN ISS greenhouse concluded a five-year operational campaign in Antarctica, during which it produced over one ton of fresh food. This milestone has significantly advanced automation, resource-efficient cultivation, and remote monitoring systems. Building on these achievements, the EDEN Initiative is now spearheading several key projects, each with clearly defined objectives and technological challenges: • EDEN LUNA: A lunar greenhouse system designed for astronaut-in-the-loop testing and training, simulating Moon mission operations and payload management. • LAM GTD (formerly called EDEN NEXT GEN): A project focused on enhancing BLSS technology by employing a full-scale Lunar Agriculture Module (LAM) mockup, complete with an integrated Airlock Module and Habitat Simulator. • EDEN 2.0: An advanced greenhouse installation at Neumayer Station III, aimed at supporting plant cultivation and improving crew well-being in isolated environments. • Further research expands EDEN’s scope by streamlining post-harvest processes and evaluating human factors in space agriculture Furthermore, collaboration is pivotal; the initiative fosters robust partnerships with space agencies, industry leaders, and academic institutions, accelerating the development of innovative and sustainable solutions tailored to the unique challenges of space exploration. This presentation will showcase EDEN’s pioneering work, charting a clear path and unveiling future plans to supports long-term human space exploration beyond Earth.