EuCROPIS
Satellite tested tomato growth in lunar and Martian gravity using urine.
Eu:CROPIS (Euglena and Combined Regenerative Organic-Food Production in Space) was a life science satellite developed by the German Aerospace Center (DLR). It was intended to investigate the possibility of growing plants, specifically tomatoes, in different levels of gravity, such as those of the Moon and Mars, as a sustainable food source using human urine for moisture and as a source of fixed nitrogen. The mission aimed to develop a stable, closed-loop, bio-regenerative life support system functioning in low gravity.
- mission_end
- 29 August 2019 (power system failure)
Quick Facts
- Auto
- all
- Mission Type
- Life sciences research
- Operator
- German Aerospace Center
- Mission Duration
- Planned: 1 year / Final: 3 December 2018 · 31 December 2019
- Spacecraft Bus
- DLR Compact Satellite bus
- Manufacturer
- DLR
- Launch Mass
- 250 kg
- Dimensions
- 1.0 m diameter x 1.13 m length / with panels deployed: 2.88 m wide
- Power
- 520 W, 4 solar arrays, Li-ion batteries
- Launch Date
- 3 December 2018
- Launch Rocket
- Falcon 9 (Block 5)
- Launch Site
- Vandenberg Air Force Base
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Eu:CROPIS was designed to simulate two greenhouses that could be scaled up and assembled inside a lunar or Martian habitat. The system used porous lava stones in trickle filters and dried soil containing normal soil microbial colonies. Microbes would convert harmful ammonia from synthetic urine into nitrate, which was then added to six tomato seeds as liquid fertiliser. The system also incorporated a colony of the single-cell microorganism Euglena gracilis, a photosynthetic algae that produces oxygen and biomass while protecting the system against high ammonia concentrations.
Reader's Guide
The Eu:CROPIS mission was significant for its attempt to create a symbiotic biological life support system that could recycle human urine into fertiliser for growing fresh food in space. By simulating lunar gravity (0.16 g) for six months and then Martian gravity (0.38 g) for another six months, the satellite aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of closed-loop agriculture beyond Earth. Although the eponymous Eu:CROPIS experiment failed to activate due to a software problem, the three supporting science payloads—PowerCell, RAMIS, and SCORE—generated large amounts of data. PowerCell investigated microbial mini-ecologies and synthetic biology in reduced gravity, while RAMIS collected data on long-term cosmic radiation exposure. The mission's legacy lies in its pioneering approach to integrating biological and mechanical systems for sustainable human space exploration, even though its primary experiment did not succeed.
Did You Know?
- The satellite was designed to simulate lunar gravity for six months, then Martian gravity for the next six months, by rotating its cylindrical body around its longitudinal axis. It successfully completed the lunar gravit
- The greenhouse had an approximate volume of 12 liters and was made of clear polycarbonate, with 16 cameras monitoring tomato seed germination and plant growth.
- The system used Euglena gracilis, a photosynthetic algae, to protect the biosystem against high ammonia concentrations present in urine.
- The PowerCell payload from NASA Ames Research Center aimed to test protein production under different gravity regimes using engineered Bacillus subtilis.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is EuCROPIS?
EuCROPIS (Euglena and Combined Regenerative Organic-Food Production in Space) was a life-science satellite developed by Germany's DLR. Its core purpose was to test whether crops could be cultivated in the reduced-gravity environments of the Moon and Mars.
What was EuCROPIS's main objective?
The mission sought to demonstrate a stable, closed-loop bio-regenerative life-support system that could operate under low-gravity conditions. Specifically, it aimed to show that tomatoes could be grown using recycled human urine as both a water source and a nitrogen supply.
What role did human urine play in the EuCROPIS experiment?
Urine served a dual function: it provided the moisture the tomato plants needed and acted as a source of fixed nitrogen for their growth. This approach was central to the mission's goal of creating a self-sustaining, closed-loop food-production system for future space habitats.
What happened to EuCROPIS and when did the mission end?
The satellite's operational life was cut short on 29 August 2019 when its power system failed. This premature termination meant the full dataset on low-gravity crop cultivation was never completed.
Why is EuCROPIS considered important for future space exploration?
It was a dedicated experiment testing whether a fully regenerative food-production loop could work under the gravity conditions astronauts would encounter on the Moon or Mars. Success would have provided a critical building block for long-duration missions where resupply from Earth is impractical.
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