“Since, in the long run, every planetary civilization will be endangered by impacts from space, every surviving civilization is obliged to become spacefaring--not because of exploratory or romantic zeal, but for the most practical reason imaginable: staying alive... If our long-term survival is at stake, we have a basic responsibility to our species to venture to other worlds.” — Carl Sagan
In the context of this quote and the technological challenges we will face to reach this goal, Synthetic Biology will be critical for our imminent era of space exploration. And of course, iGEM teams have already recognized this!
iGEM has a long history of teams applying Synthetic Biology to challenges posed by space exploration – from the need for oxygen and renewable food sources, to protection from extreme cold and stratospheric radiation. Just like previous advancements in space travel have brought technological advancements to our lives on Earth, we also understand that advancing Synthetic Biology for space will also benefit our global problems (and vice-versa). Since 2009, when Tokyo_Tech became the first iGEM team to apply Synthetic Biology to space exploration, we have had over 50 iGEM teams that have worked in space-related projects.
Since 2023, iGEM Technology is helping teams that are interested in space-related projects by developing useful resources and establishing collaborations and partnerships.
At the 2024 Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS ↗), held at the United Nations Office at Vienna, Lucas Boldrini, chair of the iGEM Space Network and Team Experience Manager, presented a statement on behalf of iGEM highlighting the importance of synthetic biology for space exploration and introducing the iGEM Space Initiative to the world.
The written statement can be accessed here ↗.
We have compiled a database of all iGEM teams that have worked with space-related projects. You can find it below.
Our main goals that led us to create this collection of data are:
A major challenge of space projects is finding the chassis that will suit the needs of the problem, and then having the foundation to work with it. We want to help develop these resources.
At the 2024 Grand Jamboree in Paris, iGEM held the first Space Village, which served as a hub for teams, researchers and enthusiasts working on space exploration.
When conducting a space project, some of the potential topics teams could explore are:
At the 2024 Grand Jamboree in Paris, Dr. Daniela Billi, from the University of Rome Tor Vergata, presented the talk "ESA Space Synthetic Biology: Space-Tolerant Cyanobacteria as a Case Study". There she explained how synthetic biology leveraging extremophiles like space-tolerant cyanobacteria offers groundbreaking potential for overcoming deep-space exploration challenges.
Speaker:
Date: 25 October 2024
This 2024 Grand Jamboree panel covered the emerging role of synthetic biology in space exploration and its dual effects on extraterrestrial and terrestrial environments. Synbio opens up new avenues to solve some of the prominent challenges in space missions, ranging from life support and resource production to biomaterials synthesis and biomining. The panel presented synbio space applications and assessed how iGEM projects and other projects could be transferred to the extreme conditions of space.
Panelists:
Date: 24 October 2024
This iGEM Space Initiative webinar served as a kick-off for 2024 teams working on space exploration. Our expert panelists discussed why synthetic biology will be essential to space exploration, took a look at past iGEM Projects about space, and explored the feasibility of future space projects for use in iGEM.
Panelists:
Date: 3 April 2024
At the 2023 Grand Jamboree in Paris, Dr. Rodrigo Coutinho de Almeida, from the European Space Agency (ESA), presented the talk "Synthetic Biology in Space: How can Synthetic Biology Help Europe Explore Space?". There he elaborated on ESA's current and future projects and emphasized the importance of Synthetic Biology in space missions.
Speaker: - Dr. Rodrigo Coutinho de Almeida - Project Scientist for Space Biology for ESA Date: 3 November 2023
In collaboration with The European Space Agency (ESA) ↗, iGEM Technology hosted the webinar: Synthetic Biology in Space - Achievements and Possibilities.
The panelists presented their current work, laid out the challenges that are facing the field, and answered questions from the iGEM community.
Panelists:
Date: 27 July 2023
We have prepared a timeline of the main highlights involving space exploration throughout iGEM's history.
If you would like to help iGEM teams working on the topic, support the Space Village or simply share new ideas to the Initiative, feel free to contact us at space@igem.org.
iGEM Technology is developing our iGEM Space Network! This initiative aims to connect labs that work on synthetic biology applied to space with iGEM teams interested in working with space exploration or using techniques often employed in Astrobiology. Network members are volunteers affiliated with space agencies such as NASA, ESA, CNES and DLR, past iGEM teams, universities and companies. Their goal is to offer mentorship and technical assistance to teams related to project inspiration, experimental planning, troubleshooting, and more.
The Space Network is now available as a resource to teams wishing to develop and improve their space project. Teams may contact our network of experts at space-network@igem.org for assistance and guidance.
When emailing the network, make sure to:
When developing any iGEM project, the first thing you need is a concrete idea: something that your team is enthusiastic about and, most importantly, useful to society in the context of space exploration. We have provided some guidance below that can help you evaluate if your project idea is robust. You can also look at the iGEM Space Teams Database to find inspiration and also see how you might build on the work of past iGEM teams.
The next step is to draft your experimental approaches and delineate if any special equipment is needed, which is not always the case.
After these steps have been conducted, you may read our starting a team page for general guidelines.
For a team participating in iGEM and looking to pursue a space project, understanding the importance of planetary protection ↗ is essential. When developing an idea, it is critical to be extremely careful in order to avoid contaminating other planets or celestial bodies with earthly organisms. This not only helps maintain the pristine condition of these environments for scientific studies, but also reduces the risk of harming any potential native lifeforms.
As an iGEM team, it is always necessary to map the project's feasibility. When developing an idea, make sure to understand its limitations, map challenges that still need to be addressed before the project can be actually used by astronauts or probes and not dive deep into the realm of science fiction.
Has your team considered the possibility that synthetic biology may not be the most efficient way of tackling the issue you are working on? When developing a space project, it is important that teams make sure the approach is the most practical and effective way to solve the biggest problems encountered in space exploration.
As an iGEM team looking to take on a space project, it is important to think about how the work you are doing could be used back on Earth. Even though space exploration is exciting, the technology and ideas that come out of it can often be applied in useful ways here at home. By thinking about how your project could have benefits both in space and on Earth, you can help advance space science and tackle important issues facing our planet at the same time. This approach not only makes your work more impactful, but also easier to engage the public.
Space agencies have a long list of challenges that need to be addressed when exploring space. We have asked our Network members to collect some of these challenges and resources below. Your team may find these useful when brainstorming and developing a space project:
European Space Agency
ESA is currently looking at synthetic biology to find solutions to several problems related to space exploration, such as:
Closed-Loop Life Support Systems - Improving waste management, producing oxygen and food, and purifying water - Recycling, converting and/or providing nutrients for downstream biological and bioreactor processors
Radioprotection (of humans, plants and microorganisms) - Radiation resistance enhancement - Production of radiation-resistant, self-healing protective shielding
Medicine and Human Health - Space-related disease prevention and treatment - Personalized medicine for diagnostic purposes, monitoring and treatment of medical conditions - Microbiome management and preservation - Identifying and monitoring health-indicative biomarkers (especially non-invasive methods of biomarker monitoring) - Autonomous pharmaceutical production
Space Agriculture - Microorganisms tailored for space agriculture, optimized for growth in reduced gravity, low nutrient environments and with increased resistance to space stressors - Autonomous food production
Biological Sensors - Detecting and responding to environmental conditions such as radiation levels, chemical compositions or microbial contamination
In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) - Ensuring reliability and functionality of microorganism performance in extreme environments such as temperature oscillations, ionizing radiation and minimal nutrient, water and oxygen availability - Production of intermediate resources for space manufacturing processes such as construction, healthcare materials and consumables - Habitat pathogen monitoring and mitigation strategies - Bioreactors for the production of human-use items (e.g. food, medicine, oxygen, waste processing)
Fuel Production and Storage for Power and Propulsion - Production of microbial-powered fuel cells for electricity from organic waste and/or space mission substrates - Storage of source material for later use (e.g. bioinks/cell lines for bioprinting, cell expansion systems)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NASA maintains a Technology Taxonomy ↗ list, which maps all relevant topics related to Aeronautics and Space. Teams may use this public resource to find potential challenges to be tackled.
Several companies sell lunar and Martian regolith simulants, such as Space Resource Technologies ↗, and teams may purchase them.
Alternatively, teams may use some terrestrial basalts that can serve as good analogues.
Some Astrobiology labs, space agencies and aerospace research centers operate Martian simulation chambers. We recommend teams to search for such institutions in their country or region and reach out to them to request access.
High-altitude balloons can be useful when testing proof-of-concept samples in the stratosphere, as this atmospheric layer is an analogue to the Martian environment on its surface. Teams may have access to these probes through partnerships with student groups such as Stanford SSI ↗ or Zenith Aerospace ↗. You may also build and launch your own probe. However, operating high-altitude probes is logistically very complicated and it will not be possible to directly test your team's genetically modified organisms in the stratosphere since iGEM considers such a technique to be a release beyond containment.
Similar to question 2, some Astrobiology labs, space agencies and aerospace research centers operate equipment such as clinostats, free fall machines and random positioning machines. We recommend teams to search for such institutions in their country or region and reach out to them to request access.
Alternatively, teams could go the extra mile and build their hardware independently.
The best way for teams conducting a space project to find sponsors and additional funding is by reaching out to their local space agency and aerospace research centers. You could also contact local companies that may be interested in your idea.
If you would like to become a member of the iGEM Space Network, please send your CV and your motivation to join to space@igem.org.