Credit: NASA
The competition aims to drive the creation of food systems capable of supporting missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA, USA, March 9, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ — Kernel Deltech, the space-oriented division of Eternal Bioworks, was selected as one of the eight US finalists in NASA’s Deep Space Food Challenge. The competition aims to drive the creation of food systems capable of supporting missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond.
Kernel Deltech’s solution uses fungi to create a sustainable, nutrient-rich food source for astronauts on long-duration space missions. The technology used originates from the main industrial production process of Eternal, adapted to work with minimum resources available in spaceships, creating an extremely efficient closed-loop system. The system is compact, fully automated, and extremely safe; it was described before as the fungi-food version of a coffee pod machine.
Fungi are known for their high protein content, making them an ideal alternative protein source for space exploration. Kernel Deltech’s team optimized every production aspect of fungi production, from cost to water and energy consumption. The team’s patented technology uses state-of-the-art artificial intelligence and robotics to simplify the use of an otherwise complex production system.
“We are thrilled we made it to a NASA final! After winning the previous phase, expectations were high” said Lucas Gago, Chief Innovation Officer of Eternal. “Our solution offers a sustainable, highly nutritious food source that can be produced in space with minimal resources and waste. This technology has the potential to be a game-changer for the alternative protein industry, not only for space exploration but also to democratize access to good nutrition here on Earth.”
The Deep Space Food Challenge is a coordinated effort between NASA and the Canadian Space Agency, inviting problem-solvers from around the world to design, build and test new ways to sustain astronauts in space for months or even years at a time. The competition’s second phase challenged both new teams and previous Phase 1 winners to build prototypes of their ideas, using minimal resources, creating little waste, reducing the water required, and producing safe, healthy, and appetizing foods for astronauts.
“Having Kernel Deltech in the final round of NASA’s Deep Space Food Challenge is a testament to our team’s hard work and expertise in sustainable food production”, said Horacio Acerbo, Founder of the Eternal Group. “Our technology can bring humanity one step closer to long-duration space travel, enabling nutritious and versatile diets made of a freshly produced ingredient every day”.
The judges will visit each of the Phase 2 finalists at their facilities to evaluate their technologies and food outputs, and up to five top-scoring US teams will be recognized as Phase 2 challenge winners, receiving an award of $150,000.
More information on the Deep Space Food Challenge:
https://www.nasa.gov/spacefoodchallenge
More information on Kernel Deltech, the think tank created by Eternal and De Leon Technologies.
https://www.eternal.bio/
https://www.deleontechnologies.com/
Miguel Neumann
Eternal Bioworks
miguel@eternal.bio
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