Satellite mission Eu:CROPIS

Green­hous­es in space – food tech­nol­o­gy for the fu­ture

The launch of DLR's satellite Eu:CROPIS (Euglena and Combined Regenerative Organic-Food Production in Space) on 3 December 2018 marked the beginning of DLR's mission with the same name, in which a satellite equipped with two greenhouses – each containing a symbiotic system consisting of bacteria in a biofilter, tomato seeds, single-celled algae and synthetic urine – orbits the Earth.

The aim of the mission is to determine whether biological waste can be recycled in space and used to grow fresh food. Astronauts on long-duration missions would benefit from fresh vegetables, but so too would people in extreme terrestrial habitats. The two greenhouses will operate for a total of 62 weeks – one under Martian gravitational conditions, and the other under lunar gravitational conditions, which will be simulated by adjusting the satellite’s rotation rate. The experimentation phase on board the Eu:CROPIS satellite developed by DLR came to an end on 31 December 2019. The eponymous Eu:CROPIS experiment could not be initiated due to a software problem. With this research satellite, DLR tested for the first time a weight-saving compact satellite design with innovative lightweight structures for lower-emission and cost-effective launches.

Eu:CROPIS mission – Facts and figures

Mission

 

Launch date

3 December 2018 at 19:34 CET (10:34 PST)

Launch site

Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, USA

Launcher

Falcon 9 from the US aerospace company SpaceX

Mission duration

62 weeks

Mission Control Centre

German Space Operations Center (GSOC) in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany

Timeline

 

Week 1 and 2

Commissioning phase, the function of the satellite is tested, the satellite is commissioned by GSOC.
The Euglena are brought out of hibernation and reproduce.

Week 3 and 4

The Euglena continue to multiply and produce oxygen.
They protect the system against excessive levels of ammonia, which can occur if the biofilter is not functioning properly.

Week 5 and 6

0.1g gravitation, Euglena is still active.

Week 7 and 30

Experiment starts in the first greenhouse, rotation creates Lunar gravity conditions (0.16 g). The 'lunar' greenhouse is watered, the biofilter is activated.

Week 31 and 35

Rotation is stopped.
Euglena in the second greenhouse are activated.

Week 36 and 62

Second experiment phase.
Rotation creates Martian gravitational conditions (0.38 g). The 'Mars' greenhouse is irrigated, the biofilter is activated.

Experiments

 

Biofilter C.R.O.P.®

Testing the long-term stability of a biological life support system – converting urine into nutrients for plants even under lunar and Martian gravity conditions.

PI: Jens Hauslage, DLR Institute of Aerospace Medicine

Euglena gracilis

Unicellular algae support the biofilter in its work. If the ammonia concentration is too high, they can break it down and 'detoxify' the system. At the same time, they initially supply the tomato plants with oxygen.

PI: PD Michael Lebert, Chair of Cell Biology, Friedrich-Alexander University Nuremberg-Erlangen

RAMIS (Radiation Measurement in Space)

The two radiation measuring devices on RAMIS (Radiation Measurement in Space) measure the radiation exposure inside and outside during the mission.

PI: Thomas Berger, DLR Institute of Aerospace Medicine

Power Cell in Space

Experiment on the production of useful biological substances by bacteria in space. It is independent of the main experiment and is located on the outside of the Meteoroid Debris Protection Shield.

PI: Lynn Rothschild, NASA AMES

SCORE (SCalable On-BoaRd Computing Experiment)

Technology demonstration – The on-board computer takes over image processing for the outboard cameras, which are located under the solar panels. This is used to check whether the panels fold out as intended.

DLR Institute of Space Systems

Satellite

 

Class

DLR compact satellite

Mass

230 kilogrammes

Dimensions

1.1 metre in height

1.0 metre in diameter

Power

4 solar panels, 1 square metre each

News

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Background article

The Eu:CROPIS mis­sion

As­tro­nauts have to be sup­plied with air, wa­ter and food while they are in space. Closed life sup­port sys­tems are used to re­cy­cle these vi­tal re­sources and make them avail­able for long-term use over pe­ri­ods of sev­er­al years. The main fo­cus of DLR's Eu:CROPIS mis­sion will be to test the long-term sta­bil­i­ty of a bi­o­log­i­cal life sup­port sys­tem for mis­sions to the Moon or Mars.

Participating DLR institutes and facilities

Ger­man Space Op­er­a­tions Cen­ter (GSOC)

The Ger­man Space Op­er­a­tions Cen­ter (GSOC), op­er­at­ed by the Ger­man Aerospace Cen­ter (DLR) at Oberp­faf­fen­hofen near Mu­nich, has an im­pres­sive track record with many years of in­valu­able ex­pe­ri­ence.

Institute of Aerospace Medicine

Within the entire German Aerospace Center (DLR), the Institute of Aerospace Medicine is the only research institute that focuses on life science issues related to transport and aerospace.

Institute of Lightweight Systems

The DLR Institute of Lightweight Systems has the know-how for the design and realisation of adaptable, efficient composite structures and lightweight systems.

Institute of Space Systems

The Institute of Space Systems analyses and evaluates complex space systems from a technical, economic and socio-political perspective.

Space Operations and Astronaut Training

DLR Space Operations is the central institution for spaceflight operations in Germany. This responsibility includes satellite missions for Earth observation, science and communication missions as well as the exploration of the Solar System and human spaceflight missions.

Related links

Contact

Falk Dambowsky

Head of Media Relations, Editor
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Corporate Communications
Linder Höhe, 51147 Cologne
Tel: +49 2203 601-3959

Hartmut Müller

German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Institute of Space Systems
Robert-Hooke-Straße 7, 28359 Bremen