The first EDEN ISS Antarctic mission, from February to November 2018, was designed to develop agricultural techniques for plant cultivation in extreme conditions, applicable to both terrestrial and space environments. While the EU-funded project was originally scheduled for completion in April 2019, research was extended to 2021 because of the many benefits it generated.
Project partners, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), which operate Germany’s Neumayer Station III Antarctic research center, will keep the facility running for at least two more years, until 2021. That will enable them to conduct two more isolation phases.
Fresh crops #MadeInAntarctica
A large quantity of fruits and vegetables was grown in the Future Exploration Greenhouse, helping to feed the winter crew at Neumayer Station III. Researchers also saved a number of plant and microbiological samples from the greenhouse, which are now being tested by the project partners to evaluate their quality and food safety.
For more information on this amazing project, please see our previous article.
