Finnish Firm Solar Foods and ESA Partner to Develop Space-Adapted Protein for Long-Duration Missions

The future of deep space travel is undergoing a significant transformation through a new alliance between the Finnish food technology company, Solar Foods, and the European Space Agency (ESA). This collaboration centers on engineering a specialized version of Solar Foods' unique protein, Solein, specifically tailored to provide sustenance for astronauts during extended journeys to destinations such as the Moon and Mars.

This ambitious project, officially named HOBI-WAN (Hydrogen Oxidizing Bacteria In Weightlessness As a source of Nutrition), forms a key part of ESA’s larger Terrae Novae Exploration Programme. The primary technical challenge involves adapting Solar Foods’ existing gas fermentation process to function reliably within the unique conditions of a microgravity environment. The immediate objective is the development and testing of a compact Solein production unit aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

This system is designed to utilize elements readily available within a spacecraft or habitat—specifically hydrogen and carbon dioxide—as the raw materials for producing this essential nutritional source. This focus on in-situ resource utilization directly addresses the critical need to significantly reduce dependence on expensive and complex resupply missions from Earth, a logistical hurdle that has historically limited deep space endeavors. Solein production bypasses traditional agriculture, relying instead on air and electricity, which enhances the self-sufficiency quotient for future exploratory crews when deployed autonomously.

Analysts view this technological shift as a crucial step toward making deep space missions logistically viable, moving the focus from supply chain management to mastering in-situ sustenance generation. Research into bioregenerative life support systems supports this approach, indicating that integrating microbial food production can substantially decrease mass requirements for long-duration missions, potentially cutting resupply mass by more than 30 percent compared to relying solely on stored food. The HOBI-WAN project’s pragmatic use of space-based resources, such as carbon dioxide expelled by human respiration, demonstrates a strong commitment to resource circularity, redefining the parameters for crew autonomy far from Earth.