Can a bioreactor make a medium-rare steak in space?
Once released by the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, a small cube satellite holding a mini-lab will orbit the Earth in Europe’s first commercial returnable spacecraft, Phoenix.
Three hours later, it will fall back to Earth off the coast of Portugal. A recovery vessel will whisk the sample back to London, where food scientists will assess how to build a bioreactor that will enable them to grow food in space as early as next year.
However, the bioreactor-made products look like “brick-colored goo,” as per the BBC, so Imperial College wants to solve that problem. Astronauts already find space food challenging on the ISS. Cooking in space involves injecting a pouch with hot water, as the food is freeze-dried or irradiated.