World Space Week 2025 has focused on the theme ‘Living in Space’, inviting us to imagine how humanity might one day inhabit the rest of the Solar System in a sustainable way. In line with this, the European Space Agency’s HOBI-WAN project is a significant step towards this future. This pioneering initiative uses bacteria that transform gases into proteins to produce food in space, paving the way for self-sufficient life on the Moon, Mars and beyond.

The ESA has taken another step towards achieving food self-sufficiency in space by commencing the study phase of the HOBI-WAN (Hydrogen Oxidising Bacteria in Weightlessness as Nutrition) pilot project. The project’s goal is ambitious yet necessary: to discover how astronauts can produce their own food on long-duration missions to the Moon or Mars, eliminating the need for resupply from Earth.

Funded under the Terrae Novae programme run by the European Space Agency (ESA), the HOBI-WAN project aims to validate a biological technology that can generate proteins in microgravity using bacteria that ‘feed’ on hydrogen. The project is being led by the German company OHB System AG in collaboration with Solar Foods, a Finnish company that created Solein — a protein powder produced by bacteria which convert gases such as CO₂ and hydrogen into nutrient-rich biomass.

The challenge is a significant one: adapting a gas fermentation process for operation in the compact and safe environment of the International Space Station (ISS). A small bioreactor will feed the bacteria hydrogen, oxygen and CO₂, thereby simulating a closed-loop resource recycling cycle. Rather than using ammonia, as is done on Earth, urea will be used to make the most of the waste generated on board.

According to Angelique Van Ombergen, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) chief exploration scientist, this project “represents a decisive step towards the autonomy and resilience of manned spaceflight”. Jürgen Kempf, OHB’s project manager, points out that the results could also have applications on Earth, helping to address global issues such as resource scarcity and food security.

During the first eight-month phase, a terrestrial model of the technology will be developed, after which the equipment to be sent into space to conduct the experiments will be manufactured. If the process works, it could change the future of space food forever.

Through initiatives like Terrae Novae and HOBI-WAN, Europe is showing that space exploration is not just about travelling further; it’s also about learning to live in space.

Photo: Source: ESA