Solar Foods partners with OHB to take Solein protein production into orbit

Solar Foods has taken a major step toward bringing its air-based protein to space, signing a contract with German space technology company OHB System AG to develop a small-scale Solein gas fermentation pilot designed for eventual testing on the International Space Station (ISS).

The project, funded by the European Space Agency (ESA) under its Terrae Novae Exploration Programme, will adapt Solar Foods’ Solein production technology for use in zero gravity. The goal is to create a working prototype capable of safely and efficiently producing microbial protein in microgravity conditions – an innovation the company hopes will one day make its technology a core part of human space habitats.

Named HOBI-WAN (Hydrogen Oxidizing Bacteria In Weightlessness As a source of Nutrition), the project follows an earlier ESA-backed technology development phase successfully completed by Solar Foods. During the first eight months of HOBI-WAN, the partners will build a ground-based “science model” to answer key technical questions about microbial gas fermentation in microgravity. If that stage succeeds, the next phase will involve developing and launching a “flight model” for the ISS.

“This would be the first time we will be able to verify that our technology works in space,” said Arttu Luukanen, Senior Vice President, Space & Defence at Solar Foods. “The aim of the project is to confirm that our organism grows in the space environment as it does on the ground, and to develop the fundamentals of gas fermentation technology to be used in space – something that has never been done before in the history of humankind.”

Luukanen noted that gases and liquids behave very differently in microgravity, with the lack of buoyancy affecting how nutrients and gases reach the Solein microbes. Ensuring gas safety is another critical challenge, given that the process uses hydrogen and oxygen.

The project will be carried out in collaboration with OHB, one of Europe’s leading space integrators with extensive experience operating experiments on the ISS. “We are truly happy that we get to collaborate with OHB,” Luukanen added. “Their expertise in evaluation and certification, especially regarding mandatory safety requirements, will help us design a system that is suitable for the space environment, provides the needed data, and most importantly, can be safely operated onboard a manned space station.”

At OHB, the HOBI-WAN project is led by Jürgen Kempf, who highlighted the broader implications of the work. “At OHB, we have been developing, operating, and maintaining scientific payloads for the International Space Station for over two decades,” he said. “This mission is about more than just testing a novel protein source – it’s about exploring how we can sustainably support human life in space. The insights we gain here could also help address global challenges on Earth, such as resource scarcity and food security.”

Solar Foods’ Solein, a protein-rich ingredient produced from carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and electricity, has already gained attention as a potential game-changer for food production both on Earth and beyond. Last year, the Finnish company was named the international category winner of NASA’s and the Canadian Space Agency’s Deep Space Food Challenge, recognizing its potential to support long-duration space missions with minimal resupply.

Solein could significantly reduce the need for food and water shipments to space stations or lunar bases while providing a fresh, sustainable protein source for astronauts. Solar Foods ultimately aims to integrate its technology with life-support systems aboard future commercial space stations and planetary habitats, from the Moon to Mars.

Earlier this year, the company appointed former NASA astronaut and Starlab Space CEO Tim Kopra as an advisor to guide its space-focused development strategy. Kopra’s role includes supporting the creation of a technology roadmap, identifying potential partners and funding opportunities, and refining the company’s commercial plan for off-world applications.

The OHB collaboration follows a competitive ESA tender process in which Solar Foods was identified as a mandatory subcontractor. The company submitted five bids with different European prime contractors, with the OHB–Solar Foods proposal ultimately selected.

“The interest in this invitation to tender by so many prime contractors was overwhelming,” said Luukanen. “It serves as an indicator that Solein and Solar Foods are on the radar scope of major space players as well as ESA. This project is just the beginning – we are working towards reaching operational capability: being able to produce Solein in a range of production scales in space. Our vision is that by 2035, Solein is the mainstay protein of space explorers.”

Luukanen described the ESA-funded HOBI-WAN project as a major milestone in that journey – one that moves Solar Foods closer to demonstrating that food can be produced entirely independently of agriculture, even in the vacuum of space.