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HOBI-WAN: ESA Prepares the Food of the Future for the Moon and Mars

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Artistic illustration showing a scientist in a Jedi-style ESA robe manipulating glowing protein spheres inside a futuristic bioreactor labeled “ESA.”
7 minutes 221

HOBI-WAN: ESA Prepares the Food of the Future for the Moon and Mars

As human space missions prepare to venture beyond Earth’s orbit—to the Moon, and eventually Mars—one fundamental question arises: how can astronauts be fed sustainably over long durations without depending on constant resupply from Earth?

That’s the challenge the European Space Agency (ESA) aims to address with its innovative project HOBI-WAN (Hydrogen Oxidising Bacteria In Weightlessness As a source of Nutrition).

Turning Air into Food

The HOBI-WAN project explores a truly revolutionary concept: producing protein from air—literally.

The system relies on gas fermentation, a technology already developed on Earth by Finnish company Solar Foods, ESA’s partner in the project. This method converts carbon dioxide (CO₂), hydrogen (H₂), oxygen (O₂), and trace nutrients into a protein-rich powder known as Solein®.

“Providing a sustainable and nutritious food supply is one of the greatest challenges for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit,” ESA explains in its press release.

HOBI-WAN’s goal is to demonstrate that this technology can operate in microgravity, the environment of a space habitat or Martian base.

Bacteria That Feed Astronauts

Diagram showing the main components of Solar Foods’ Solein® production system, including the bioreactor, hydrogen generator, filters, and control unit.
Diagram of the Solein® production system developed by Solar Foods for ESA’s HOBI-WAN project. The illustration details the main elements of the gas fermentation setup: bioreactor, gas buffers, compressor, heat exchanger, filtration units, hydrogen generation module, product dryer, and control unit. This compact system is designed to convert carbon dioxide and hydrogen into protein-rich biomass under controlled conditions. Credit: Solar Foods / ESA

At the heart of the project lies a compact bioreactor housing hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria. By consuming CO₂ and H₂, these microorganisms generate proteins and amino acids that can be used as food. The process requires no soil and no sunlight—a game-changing advantage for missions where every resource counts.

This approach could one day be integrated into lunar or Martian habitats, creating a closed-loop resource cycle: the CO₂ exhaled by astronauts could be transformed into food, making future colonies nearly self-sufficient.

First Tests on Earth

Funded under ESA’s Terrae Novae program, which supports human exploration research, HOBI-WAN’s first phase—led by OHB System AG and Solar Foods—focuses on developing a ground prototype to validate the process in controlled conditions.

Industrial bioreactor system developed by Solar Foods for Solein® production, showing stainless steel tanks, pipes, and control systems.
Inside Solar Foods’ industrial bioreactor facility, where the company produces Solein®, a protein-rich powder made from carbon dioxide and hydrogen through gas fermentation. This large-scale bioreactor represents the core of the technology that will be miniaturized and adapted for space use under ESA’s HOBI-WAN project. Credit: Solar Foods

The next step will adapt the system for microgravity, before a future test in orbit, likely aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

View of a European science rack inside the International Space Station (ISS) equipped with instruments and cables for microgravity experiments.
European science rack aboard the International Space Station (ISS), similar to the facility where ESA’s HOBI-WAN module will be installed. The system will test the production of Solein® proteins in microgravity, a crucial step toward sustainable food production for long-duration space missions. Credit: ESA / NASA

“This project aims to develop a key resource to improve the autonomy, resilience, and well-being of our astronauts,” says Angelique Van Ombergen, ESA’s Head of Human Exploration Science.

Close-up of the HOBI-WAN experimental module built by OHB System AG and Redwire, showing metallic compartments for microgravity protein production tests.
Prototype of the HOBI-WAN experimental module, developed by OHB System AG in collaboration with Redwire and Solar Foods, for ESA’s HOBI-WAN project. This compact bioreactor system will be tested in microgravity to demonstrate the feasibility of producing Solein® proteins from CO₂ and hydrogen aboard future space missions. Credit: ESA / OHB System AG / Redwire

Feeding the Moon, Then Mars

HOBI-WAN fits into ESA’s long-term strategy for the Artemis lunar program and future Mars expeditions.

In these extreme environments, meal logistics are a major challenge: sending one kilogram of food to the Moon costs tens of thousands of euros. Producing local protein from available resources (CO₂, hydrogen, recycled water) offers both economic and ecological advantages.

Engineers envision a closed-loop ecosystem where:

  • Plants provide oxygen and absorb CO₂.

  • HOBI-WAN bacteria convert CO₂ into protein.

  • Water, recycled up to 98%, maintains the biological cycle.

A circular life-support system, essential for any sustainable space colony.

Space Innovation with Earthly Benefits

While HOBI-WAN is designed for space, its applications on Earth could be transformative. Producing food from gases could help address global food security challenges by:

  • Reducing dependence on intensive agriculture.

  • Producing protein in arid or polar regions.

  • Lowering the environmental footprint of animal farming.

Close-up view of Solein® protein powder produced by Solar Foods, showing its fine golden texture under warm light.
Close-up of Solein®, the protein powder created by Solar Foods through gas fermentation using CO₂, hydrogen, and oxygen. The technology, tested under ESA’s HOBI-WAN project, could provide a sustainable food source for astronauts on the Moon and Mars, transforming air into nutrition. Credit: Solar Foods

Already in industrial testing in Finland, Solein® has a light flour-like texture and taste, suitable for incorporation into drinks, pasta, bread, or meat substitutes.

A Bold Technological Challenge

Adapting such a system to microgravity is far from easy. Engineers must manage gas mixing (with flammable hydrogen and oxygen), bacterial stability, and design sealed, crew-safe bioreactors. Yet the potential is immense: once validated, HOBI-WAN could be deployed on lunar or Martian missions, or even support long-term human presence in space, providing a self-sufficient life-support system.

The project embodies a new ESA philosophy: not only to explore new worlds, but to make life possible there. Turning air into food, recycling one’s own emissions, and producing sustainably without soil or sunlight—concepts once confined to science fiction—are rapidly becoming scientific reality. HOBI-WAN perfectly reflects the European vision of exploration: innovate for space, and for Earth. May the food be with you.

Sources:

Lunar mission Science and Discoveries Space News