MICROBREW-1

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This investigation studies how fermentation—an essential process for food, medicine, and life support—works in space using top-fermenting yeast. Top-fermentation is a gravity-driven process where yeast moves "vertically" in the growth medium (in this case, wort). In space, there is no "up" or "down", so this type of fermentative process is physically impacted. However, we don't know what these impacts may be, either at the cellular level, the fermentation process itself, nor what the microbes produce. By testing how microgravity affects yeast behavior and top-fermentation efficiency, the research will guide future biomanufacturing and sustainable systems for long-term space missions. These insights may also support Earth-based industries expanding into space.

The Starbase MicroBrew-1 experiment will mix wort with yeast in space (launched separately) to study the physiological and metabolic processes of fermentation in microgravity. Fermentation is a critical process for ensuring the safety and sustainability of long-duration space missions, supporting essential systems such as food and beverage production, life support, biomanufacturing, and agriculture. By exploring how fermentation differs in space, this study aims to reduce the risks associated with fermentation-based processes for future missions to space and Mars. 

Fermentation processes that use “top fermenters” (yeast that moves vertically through the medium as it ferments sugars) are affected by the lack of sedimentation, buoyancy, and convective flows in space. The exact impacts to the fermentation process of these changes is unknown. This project’s hypothesis, therefore, is: “The lack of sedimentation and buoyancy in microgravity impacts the fermentation efficiency of top-fermenting yeast by reducing carbon substrate utilization efficiency.” 

(1) to complete a fermentation cycle in microgravity using a top fermenting yeast strain, (2) to employ a fermentation model applicable to human space exploration and terrestrial industries, and (3) to characterize changes in the yeast (single-cell analyses) and on the fermented product as a result of microgravity. 

This experiment may provide critical insights into the viability of top-fermenting yeast for bioprocesses in space, informing the design of hardware and microbial processes for future applications in biomanufacturing, sustainable human exploration of space, and Earth-based industries as they grow into lower Earth orbit (LEO) and beyond. 

Starbase MicroBrew-1 investigates fermentation in space, a bioprocess with far-reaching implications for future space infrastructure, including food, medicine, and waste recycling. By evaluating how microgravity affects top-fermenting yeast metabolism and efficiency, this study informs the development of robust, scalable biomanufacturing systems—an area highlighted in the BPS Decadal Survey under "Industrial Biomanufacturing in Space." It contributes directly to NASA’s exploration objectives by generating novel data aligned with life-support systems and in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) efforts.  

Understanding how fermentation behaves in space helps improve bioprocesses used on Earth for food, medicine, and industrial applications. Results from this study could lead to more efficient fermentation systems, supporting advances in pharmaceuticals, brewing, and bio-based materials. Insights from this work also benefit Earth-based industries preparing for commercial activity in low Earth orbit and beyond, aligning with NASA’s vision for a sustainable space economy.