2026/07/01 by Isabel Santos de Sousa, Guillaume Gégo, Cyprien Verseux +5
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Environmental Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology #Polar Research and Ecology #Planetary Science and Exploration
paper · doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2026.07.034
Current life support and in situ resource utilization technologies remain insufficient to ensure full autonomy of lunar and Martian habitats. While cyanobacteria are recognized as one of the most promising components of bioregenerative life support systems, fungi remain fairly unexplored. Aspergillus niger has demonstrated resilience under space-relevant conditions and presents strong potential for applications in life support systems. This work provides a proof-of-concept evaluation of the feasibility of incorporating A. niger biotechnological potential into future life support systems by testing its growth on resources likely available on the Moon and Mars: regolith (lunar and Martian), and cyanobacterial biomass. A. niger growth was tested in media containing minerals leached from simulants of lunar (Lunar Highland Simulant LHS-1) or Martian regolith (Mars Global Simulant MGS-1), supplemented with organic nutrients derived from the biomass of diazotrophic, lithotrophic cyanobacteria. Two strains of Anabaena spp. (PCC 7120 and 7938) were tested, either untreated or after mechanical lysis. The best growth conditions were subsequently evaluated under simulated microgravity by incubating Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene (FEP) bag-bioreactors in a clinostat. Putative citric acid isomers levels in 7-day cultures were evaluated by LC-MS/MS based on the detection of m/z 191 and its characteristic collision-induced dissociation fragments (173 and 111 m/z). Results show that lysates of Anabaena sp. PCC 7938 effectively enabled growth of A. niger , supporting approximately 30% of fungal biomass accumulation when compared to the positive control (minimal medium). FEP bags were validated as a promising biocompatible bioreactor for A. niger liquid cultures under Earth’s gravity and simulated microgravity, showing no statistically significant differences in biomass production between the tested gravity regimes. Putative citric acid isomers were detected in media supplemented with minerals from Martian regolith simulant, suggesting that its composition may support central metabolic pathways in A. niger . We demonstrated that A. niger can grow using resources likely available in future Moon and Mars outposts, namely using regolith-derived mineral solutions, and recycling resources from established bioprocesses in the space habitat, such as cyanobacterial biomass.