Developers: | DARPA |
Date of the premiere of the system: | November 2021 |
Branches: | Pharmaceuticals, medicine, healthcare |
2021: Launch of bio-production development program in space
The Department of Defense's Office of Advanced Research Projects (DARPA) published a program for the development of bio-production in space on November 24, 2021. In this document, the US Space Force ( USSF) notes "the internal value of the space field and the huge impact that space has on the prosperity and security of the United States."
There is a critical need from the Department of Defense for continued development and future expansion of orbital production to ensure supply chain resilience, sustainable technological excellence, and asset security and repair for current and future operations.
To solve this problem, DARPA published the program "Bio-production: survival, utility and reliability outside the Earth" (B-SURE). This program is the first step to explore and mitigate the risks of production capabilities that use biological processes in resource-limited environments.
The new program involves the use of microbes and equipment necessary for the production of a wide range of raw materials or products.
Bio-production offers a new approach to production in remote places, including in space. Although bio-production has the potential to provide molecules and materials of interest to the Ministry of Defense, the realization of this opportunity requires fundamental and future applied research.
To achieve this goal, B-SURE will collect data on the microbiological use of alternative raw materials from space, optimizing the growth of microorganisms under conditions of variable gravity and strategies for mitigating the identified effects of galactic cosmic radiation on the growth and bioproduction of microorganisms.
The 18-month effort includes three areas to achieve the objectives of the programme. The first track, "Use of alternative raw materials," will determine which alternative raw materials can be consumed by organisms. "Variable gravity" will determine the effect of variable gravity on cell performance in the context of biomodeling parameters and how terrestrial analogues predict the production of molecules in orbit. "Variable radiation" will show the effect of variable radiation on the production of microbial molecules.
B-SURE executors will have the opportunity to interact with stakeholders of the US government and the US Department of Defense, as well as with relevant regulatory bodies. Teams are also expected to collaborate with Ethical, Legal and Social Experts (ELSI).
Additional information about the program schedule and indicators is available in the agency's wide announcement.[1]