NASA Funds Research to Grow Food in Lunar Soil

The $2.3 million initiative aims to enable long-duration space missions by studying plant and microbial interactions in lunar regolith.

NASA has awarded $2.3 million to scientists to study how to grow vegetation in lunar soil as part of the Thrive in DEep Space, or TIDES, program.
The projects will test how lunar soil, also known as regolith, works as a 'growth substrate' for crop-producing plants including grains, tomatoes and potatoes.
Researchers will also work to understand how growth in lunar regolith influences plant and microbial interactions, and how these interactions affect plant development and health.
11 grants have been awarded to ten institutions in nine states for research that will run from 2024-2027.
The research will focus on the same type of regolith NASA has located at potential landing sites for future moon exploration missions.