Tiny rice plants could help astronauts grow food in space

The dream of living beyond Earth demands fresh food far from our planet. The Moon-Rice project is pioneering this vision by experimenting with future-proof crops for space. One day, this initiative could supply nutritious food to astronauts and people living in harsh environments on Earth.

Today, space missions depend on supplies from Earth. These include ready-to-eat meals that lack fresh ingredients. Such meals often miss essential nutrients that the human body needs, especially during long missions.

For deep space exploration, we must grow food rich in vitamins and fiber. The Moon-Rice project aims to create such crops. Their goal is to sustain life in deep space missions.

“Living in space is all about recycling resources and living sustainably,” said Marta Del Bianco, a plant biologist at the Italian Space Agency. “We are trying to solve the same problems that we face here on Earth.”

Tiny rice is key for space food

Dr. Del Bianco noted that the main challenge: crop size. Many dwarf rice types are still too large for space farming. “What we need is a super-dwarf, but this comes with its own challenges.”

“Dwarf varieties often come from the manipulation of a plant hormone called gibberellin, which can reduce the height of the plant, but this also creates problems for seed germination. They’re not an ideal crop, because in space, you just don’t have to be small, you must also be productive.”

Since space farming demands high-yield crops that are compact, scientists face the tough task of balancing plant size with productivity.

United efforts for innovation

In addition to the Italian Space Agency, the research involved the work of experts from three Italian universities.

The University of Milan has a strong background in rice genetics, the University of Rome ‘Sapienza’ specializes in crop physiology manipulation, and the University of Naples ‘Federico II’ has a rich heritage in space crop production.

“We started this four-year project nine months ago, so it’s very much a work in progress, but the preliminary results we have now are really promising,” said Del Bianco.

Tiny rice plants with more protein

Scientists at the University of Milan have discovered tiny rice varieties. These grow only 10 centimeters tall.

“Researchers at the University of Milan are isolating mutant rice varieties that can grow to just 10 cm high, so they’re really tiny and this is a great starting point,” said Del Bianco. “At the same time, Rome has identified genes that can alter the plant architecture to maximize production and growth efficiency.”

In addition to compactness, the team is enhancing rice protein levels. Meat production will not be practical in space, so protein-rich crops are vital.

Testing rice plants in fake gravity

According to Dr. Del Bianco, the team investigated how the rice plants would respond to microgravity. This type of research helps ensure the plants can survive space conditions.

“We simulate microgravity on Earth by continually rotating the plant so that the plant is pulled equally in all directions by gravity. Each side of the plant gets activated continuously and it doesn’t know where the up and down is,” she said.

“It’s the best we can do on Earth because, unfortunately, doing experiments in real microgravity conditions – i.e. in space – is complex and expensive.”

Fresh food helps mental health

Fresh food does more than nourish the body. It also boosts mental health.

“Watching and guiding plants to grow is good for humans, and while pre-cooked or mushy food can be fine for a short period of time, it could become a concern for longer-duration missions,” said Del Bianco.

Astronauts need both physical and psychological support during their missions. Their health directly affects mission success. Mistakes in space can be costly or even deadly.

“If we can make an environment that physically and mentally nourishes the astronauts, it will reduce stress and lower the chances of people making mistakes. In space, the best case of a mistake is wasted money, and the worst case is the loss of lives,” said Del Bianco.

Space rice could help farmers

The Moon-Rice project has benefits beyond space. It could help farmers on Earth too.

“If you can develop a robust crop for space, then it could be used at the Arctic and Antarctic poles, or in deserts, or places with only a small amount of indoor space available,” said Del Bianco.

The research will be presented at the Society for Experimental Biology Annual Conference in Antwerp, Belgium, on July 9, 2025.

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