In a new mission announced Friday, Australian scientists are attempting to grow plants on the Moon by 2025, which they say could pave the way for a future colony.
According to plant biologist Brett Williams of Queensland University of Technology, seeds will be carried by the Beresheet 2 spacecraft, which is a private Israeli Moon mission.
After landing, they would be watered inside the sealed chamber and watched for signs of germination and growth.
Plants will be chosen based on their ability to withstand extreme conditions and germinate quickly, he said.
One likely candidate is an Australian “resurrection grass,” which can go dormant without water.
The project, according to the researchers, “is an early step toward producing plants for food, medicine, and oxygen production—all of which are important to establishing human life on the moon.”
Caitlin Byrt, an Associate Professor at the Australian National University in Canberra, said the study was also relevant to concerns about food security caused by climate change.
“If you can build a system for growing plants on the moon, you can build a system for growing food in some of the most difficult environments on the planet,” Byrt said in a statement.
The project is managed by the Lunaria One organisation, which includes scientists from Australia and Israel.
