Limnospira indica grown aboard the ISS Arthrospira-C : model and simulation of the ISS and ground experiments
Year: 2026
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: Long-term human space exploration requires regenerative life support systems, such as those developed within the European Space Agency’s MELiSSA program, in which the cyanobacterium Limnospira indica is investigated as a biological component capable of CO₂ fixation, O₂ production, and generation of edible biomass. The Arthrospira-B and C (ArtB, ArtC) experiments conducted aboard the International Space Station (ISS) aimed to evaluate how L. indica responds to spaceflight conditions. The Arthrospira‑B (Art‑B) experiment, successfully deployed on the ISS in 2017, demonstrated the potential of L. indica to produce oxygen and biomass in space under batch culture conditions and a fixed light intensity. Launched to the ISS aboard SpaceX CRS-31 in November 2024, the Art-C experiment builds upon this work by providing real-time monitoring of oxygen production rates and biomass concentration, deduced from gas pressure measurements. Unlike Art-B, Art-C operates with a semi-continuous power supply and studies the impact of variations in light intensity. The ArtC cultures were maintained on the ISS for 2.5 months in four fully autonomous photobioreactors, while four identical reactors operated simultaneously on Earth as ground controls. This study sought to compare the oxygen productivity and the characteristics of biomass produced in microgravity with those obtained under identical conditions on the ground. The photobioreactor model previously developed for the Art‑B experiment was extended to account for the semi‑continuous operating regime implemented in the Art‑C experiment. In addition, oxygen inhibition was incorporated into the growth model of L. indica. As with the Art‑B experiment, the updated model successfully fits the Art‑C experimental data for both flight and ground‑based reactors. Model comparison with measurements suggests that, for flight reactors, inhibition by oxygen partial pressure (pO₂) must be considered, whereas for ground reactors, growth limitation is primarily driven by pH.This work has been made possible through the authors involvement in the MELiSSA project, ESA’s life support system program and through the ARTEMiSS project (supported by ESA/ PRODEX and BELSPO). The authors also thank the MELiSSA partners, as well as the engineering, operation and support teams from Redwire, BIOTESC, MUSC, and ESA, who made this space flight experiment possible.
Source: HAL
Language: English
Subfield: Physiology (medical)
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7208853695