An Australian-led initiative to cultivate plants on the moon has secured a spot on a lunar mission set to launch in 2025.
Plants and seeds housed within a specialized capsule will make the 380,000 km journey aboard an Intuitive Machines lunar lander.
The project, named the Australian Lunar Experiment Promoting Horticulture (Aleph), marks one of Australia’s first lunar-led missions. It’s spearheaded by startup Lunaria One, in collaboration with various research institutions, nonprofits, and industry partners.
According to Lunaria One’s director, Lauren Fell, while the ultimate goal is to produce “living, fresh, and green” food for astronauts on the moon and eventually Mars, the initial challenge is to see if the plants can survive. The plants will need to withstand extended storage at the launch pad, intense lift-off vibrations, and extreme lunar temperatures, fluctuating from 120°C to -130°C.
“We’re not growing a full garden yet,” she added.
“As we plan for a more sustainable human presence on the moon and later on Mars, we need to develop ways to send resources that can grow there.”
Dr. Caitlin Byrt, a bioengineering professor and plant scientist at the Australian National University, is advising Aleph on plant types that may withstand the harsh journey.
She explained, “We need to understand how plant or photosynthetic life can endure such extremes, remain in stasis, and then restart growth.”
Some “resurrection plants,” already adapted to survive in deserts with extreme dry, hot, and cold conditions, are being studied. On Earth, these plants can pause growth by reducing water content to 10% of their ideal level and resume once hydrated.
By innovating for space, Byrt noted, we could gain insights that help grow fresh, nutritious food even after severe disasters or climatic extremes.
“If we can create something that survives a lunar journey, we could potentially engineer plants capable of surviving the Earth’s toughest challenges,” she added.
In 2024, Intuitive Machines became the first private company to land a spacecraft on the moon. Lunaria One’s payload is planned for the company’s third lunar mission.
Aleph has received $3.6 million in funding from the Australian Space Agency.
Enrico Palermo, the agency’s head, said: “Learning which plants to grow in space—and the best ways to grow them—will be crucial for human space exploration, and will offer valuable scientific insights for Earth.”
Fell emphasized that public involvement in the Australian-led mission is essential.
“We have several activities, engineering challenges, and plant experiments for people to try at home, allowing them to contribute to the science,” she said.
