The Green Moon Project is a Spanish multidisciplinary research initiative that explores the feasibility of cultivating plants beyond Earth. Founded in 2016 by three students from Málaga, the team has since expanded to include researchers from diverse fields such as Space Engineering, Plant Biology, and Planetary Geology.
The team has successfully developed a prototype plant growth chamber designed to enable plant cultivation in the lunar environment. This chamber offers protection against the Moon’s extreme conditions, including vacuum, radiation, and temperature fluctuations. In May 2024 our first scientific paper was released and it includes data from our experiment on Earth together with data from the first cultivation of plants on the Moon; the scientific paper published in Elsevier is named after: Key factors in developing controlled closed ecosystems for lunar missions, Resources, Environment and Sustainability, Volume 16, 2024, 100160, ISSN 2666-9161, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resenv.2024.100160
Current efforts focus on enhancing the design of the growth chamber and devising strategies for cultivating various plant species in Space, on the Moon or even in the future on Mars and beyond. Key areas of current research include:
Developing a plant growth chamber capable of withstanding lunar conditions.
Identifying plant species suitable for Space Agriculture.
Investigating techniques and fertilisers for growing plants with soil or soil simulant of the Moon or Mars based on volcanic soil from the Canary Islands, such as Lanzarote or La Palma.
Understanding the impact of the Moon's environment on plant growth, also Space and Mars too.
The Green Moon Project represents a crucial advancement toward achieving sustainable human habitation on the Moon. By enabling food cultivation, the project addresses a fundamental requirement for prolonged lunar missions. The Green Moon Project is a real need that gives answers to a necessity of future human missions into Space.
Moreover, the initiative contributes significantly to astrobiology, offering insights into plant growth in extraterrestrial environments. This research may aid in supporting and enabling future and potential habitats for life beyond Earth. In its pioneering efforts, the Green Moon Project is laying the groundwork for sustainable human exploration and habitation in Space.