Synthetic biology for space exploration

Silvano Onofri; Ralf Moeller; Daniela Billi; Michele Balsamo; Anke Becker; Eugenio Benvenuto; Alessia Cassaro; Ilaria Catanzaro; Charles S. Cockell; Angiola Desiderio; Tom Ellis; José Eduardo Gonzáles-Pastor; Christiane Hahn; Natalie Leys; Patrick Leo; Marie-Christine Maurel; Claudia Pacelli; Bruno Pavletic; Caterina Ripa; Lynn J. Rothschild

doi:10.1038/s41526-025-00488-7

Synthetic biology for space exploration

Silvano Onofri
, Ralf Moeller
, Daniela Billi
, Michele Balsamo
, Anke Becker
, Eugenio Benvenuto
, Alessia Cassaro
, Ilaria Catanzaro
, Charles S. Cockell
, Angiola Desiderio
, Tom Ellis
, José Eduardo Gonzáles-Pastor
, Christiane Hahn
, Natalie Leys
, Patrick Leo
, Marie-Christine Maurel
, Claudia Pacelli
, Bruno Pavletic
, Caterina Ripa
, Lynn J. Rothschild

Microbiology

Research output › peer-review

Abstract

Human space exploration faces different challenges. Topics like Bioregenerative Life Support Systems, In Situ Resource Utilization, and radiation protection, still require for more suitable solutions to be applied in long-term space exploration. Synthetic biology could be a powerful tool for enabling human exploration of space and planets. This paper explores key topics including resource utilization, life support systems, radiation protection, and human health, providing recommendations for short-, mid-, and long-term advancements in space exploration.

Original language	English
Article number	41
Number of pages	12
Journal	npj Microgravity
Volume	11
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41526-025-00488-7
State	Published - Dec 2025

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Medicine (miscellaneous)
Materials Science (miscellaneous)
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology (miscellaneous)
Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous)
Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous)
Space and Planetary Science

Access to Document

10.1038/s41526-025-00488-7License:

Cite this

Onofri, S., Moeller, R., Billi, D., Balsamo, M., Becker, A., Benvenuto, E., Cassaro, A., Catanzaro, I., Cockell, C. S., Desiderio, A., Ellis, T., Gonzáles-Pastor, J. E., Hahn, C., Leys, N., Leo, P., Maurel, M.-C., Pacelli, C., Pavletic, B., Ripa, C., & Rothschild, L. J. (2025). Synthetic biology for space exploration. npj Microgravity, 11(1), Article 41. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41526-025-00488-7

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abstract = "Human space exploration faces different challenges. Topics like Bioregenerative Life Support Systems, In Situ Resource Utilization, and radiation protection, still require for more suitable solutions to be applied in long-term space exploration. Synthetic biology could be a powerful tool for enabling human exploration of space and planets. This paper explores key topics including resource utilization, life support systems, radiation protection, and human health, providing recommendations for short-, mid-, and long-term advancements in space exploration.",

keywords = "Space, Radiation protection, Life support systems, Human health, Space exploration",

author = "Silvano Onofri and Ralf Moeller and Daniela Billi and Michele Balsamo and Anke Becker and Eugenio Benvenuto and Alessia Cassaro and Ilaria Catanzaro and Cockell, \{Charles S.\} and Angiola Desiderio and Tom Ellis and Gonz{\'a}les-Pastor, \{Jos{\'e} Eduardo\} and Christiane Hahn and Natalie Leys and Patrick Leo and Marie-Christine Maurel and Claudia Pacelli and Bruno Pavletic and Caterina Ripa and Rothschild, \{Lynn J.\}",

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doi = "10.1038/s41526-025-00488-7",

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Onofri, S, Moeller, R, Billi, D, Balsamo, M, Becker, A, Benvenuto, E, Cassaro, A, Catanzaro, I, Cockell, CS, Desiderio, A, Ellis, T, Gonzáles-Pastor, JE, Hahn, C, Leys, N, Leo, P, Maurel, M-C, Pacelli, C, Pavletic, B, Ripa, C & Rothschild, LJ 2025, 'Synthetic biology for space exploration', npj Microgravity, vol. 11, no. 1, 41. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41526-025-00488-7

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T1 - Synthetic biology for space exploration

AU - Onofri, Silvano

AU - Moeller, Ralf

AU - Billi, Daniela

AU - Balsamo, Michele

AU - Becker, Anke

AU - Benvenuto, Eugenio

AU - Cassaro, Alessia

AU - Catanzaro, Ilaria

AU - Cockell, Charles S.

AU - Desiderio, Angiola

AU - Ellis, Tom

AU - Gonzáles-Pastor, José Eduardo

AU - Hahn, Christiane

AU - Leys, Natalie

AU - Leo, Patrick

AU - Maurel, Marie-Christine

AU - Pacelli, Claudia

AU - Pavletic, Bruno

AU - Ripa, Caterina

AU - Rothschild, Lynn J.

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N2 - Human space exploration faces different challenges. Topics like Bioregenerative Life Support Systems, In Situ Resource Utilization, and radiation protection, still require for more suitable solutions to be applied in long-term space exploration. Synthetic biology could be a powerful tool for enabling human exploration of space and planets. This paper explores key topics including resource utilization, life support systems, radiation protection, and human health, providing recommendations for short-, mid-, and long-term advancements in space exploration.

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KW - Space

KW - Radiation protection

KW - Life support systems

KW - Human health

KW - Space exploration

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