The goal? To produce sea bass in space to feed astronauts on future trips to the Moon—and even Mars.

According to The Guardian newspaper, the project is being led by French researcher Dr. Cyrille Przybyla of the French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea (Ifremer). The idea is based on sending fertilized sea bass eggs into space, where they should hatch during the journey to the International Space Station (ISS).

Initial tests show that the embryos survive the vibrations of launch and the extreme conditions of space travel. If all goes as planned, sea bass could be farmed in closed aquaculture systems, which reuse all resources, including wastewater and biological waste, in a truly circular cycle.

Lunar Hatch’s ambition is to create a closed and sustainable food chain in a lunar environment, using ice from the Moon’s poles as a source of water. These systems could also have an impact on Earth, particularly in isolated communities with difficult access to fresh food.

While awaiting the green light for the first shipment into space, scientists continue to study the behavior of sea bass in Palavas-les-Flots, in southern France. The project has the support of the French space agency (CNES) and may be integrated into future missions coordinated with NASA.

The race is already underway: China is also developing closed-loop aquaculture systems for use in space stations.

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