Gastronaut provides Nutrition-as-a-Service for long‑duration space missions, delivering flight‑qualified food systems that restore Earth‑level nutrient content to microgravity‑grown crops. Their 0.5 g rotating centrifuge unit, integrated into ISS EXPRESS racks, reduces reactive oxygen species by up to 60 % and requires less than 20 minutes of crew time per week, ensuring continuous fresh produce and improved astronaut health and performance.
Funding
Funding not disclosed
Founders
Product
Problem
Space-grown crops experience elevated reactive oxygen species and significant mineral loss in microgravity, leading to deficiencies that threaten astronaut health, performance, and morale on long-duration missions.
Solution
Gastronaut delivers Nutrition-as-a-Service through a flight‑qualified 0.5 g rotating centrifuge that integrates into ISS EXPRESS racks, Starship, Gateway, and commercial stations. The system creates a microgravity‑compatible growth environment that reduces ROS by 40–60 % and restores Earth‑level calcium, magnesium, iron, and other essential minerals in each harvest. Automated CRISPR‑enhanced microgreens cycle every 6–12 days, requiring less than 20 minutes of crew time per week while recycling 95 % of water and CO₂. Real‑time analytics and data telemetry enable mission operators to monitor crop health and nutritional output continuously, providing a reliable source of fresh salads, herbs, and nutrient‑dense shoots throughout the journey.
Target Audience
Primary customers are space agencies and commercial operators running long‑duration missions on the ISS, lunar Gateway, Mars‑bound spacecraft, and private orbital habitats.
Features
- 0.5 g rotating centrifuge unit sized to fit a single ISS EXPRESS rack
- CRISPR‑engineered microgreen varieties optimized for rapid growth under low‑gravity conditions
- Integrated water and CO₂ recycling system achieving 95 % resource reuse
- Automated growth cycles (6–12 days) with <20 min weekly crew interaction
- ROS mitigation technology reducing oxidative stress in crops by 40–60 %
- Mineral restoration to Earth‑equivalent levels for calcium, magnesium, iron, etc.
- Continuous fresh produce output with real‑time data analytics and remote monitoring