Lunaria One’s payload will contain seeds and plants, and their progress will be compared against controlled experiments undertaken by students and regular citizens on Earth.
The Australian Lunar Experiment Promoting Horticulture (ALEPH) will travel on Intuitive Machines’ third mission, IM-3, while the project itself has already been backed by a $3.6 million grant from the Australian Space Agency.
It comes after Space Connect reported in 2022 how Lunaria was planning to transport its experiment on an Israeli lander, Beresheet 2, though its future now appears to be in doubt.
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Enrico Palermo, head of the Australian Space Agency, said, “Understanding which plants to grow in space – and how best to grow them – will play a key role in human space exploration in the coming years while giving us important scientific lessons to apply back on Earth.
“ALEPH is an opportunity for Australia to be involved in making these discoveries, drawing on Australia’s extensive life sciences expertise.”
The ALEPH mission will significantly judge the progress of the plants against Australians running parallel experiments in their homes and schools, who will then add their findings to a live scientific database.
It will also be supported by a range of academic institutions and businesses.
“RMIT University, known for its expertise in aerospace engineering, is leading the design and manufacture of the payload, which will house the seeds and monitor plant growth on the lunar surface,” Lunaria One said.
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“This involves creating a system robust enough to survive space travel while supporting life in extreme lunar conditions.
“Lunar Outpost Oceania is providing flight qualification input to help ensure that the payload meets the stringent requirements of spaceflight, from launch vibrations to the harsh thermal environment of the moon.
“During the mission, CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, will provide use of their ground stations on a commercial basis for lunar communications with the mission.
“Engineering for the moon provides valuable insights about optimising plant and crop production here on Earth.
“Microgreen growth company Micropod and indoor vertical farming technology company InvertiGro are contributing to the science and engineering behind the project while also exploring potential spin-off technologies that could benefit agriculture in resource-scarce or harsh environments on Earth.
“Queensland University of Technology, RMIT University and Australian National University lead the Australian biological science efforts, while international partners from the University of Cape Town, Ben Gurion University, and the Millennium Seed Bank at Kew Gardens contribute research on plant selection and growth optimisation for the lunar environment.”
In February, Intuitive Machines successfully became the first commercial company to land on the lunar surface.
Despite the lander touching down on its side, the US company still declared the mission an “unqualified success”, while NASA added a soft touchdown was a “great accomplishment”.
Crucially, officials revealed they had received data from nearly all the payloads on the Nova-C lander, named Odysseus, which came to a rest in the south polar regions of the moon.
A second mission, IM-2, is now likely to blast off in January 2025 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 before a third mission follows later next year.
Lauren Fell, director of Lunaria One and ALEPH Project lead, said, “This mission is about more than just science and technology; it’s about bringing people with us, fostering innovation, and showing Australians of all ages there is a place for them in our space industry.”
On Monday, Lunaria One said it was still planning a second lunar mission with SpaceIL’s Beresheet 2 lander. However, multiple reports have suggested the project is now in doubt after it lost a “major source of funding”.
Plans are, though, still progressing, with the team in September simulating the landing process.
Adam Thorn
Adam is a journalist who has worked for more than 40 prestigious media brands in the UK and Australia. Since 2005, his varied career has included stints as a reporter, copy editor, feature writer and editor for publications as diverse as Fleet Street newspaper The Sunday Times, fashion bible Jones, media and marketing website Mumbrella as well as lifestyle magazines such as GQ, Woman’s Weekly, Men’s Health and Loaded. He joined Momentum Media in early 2020 and currently writes for Australian Aviation and World of Aviation.
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