Space Agriculture and Mechatronic Technologies: Micro-Review and Multi-Collaborative Study

Abstract

The research line of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) in the Division of Biomechatronics and Life Support Systems at the Center of Space Emerging Technologies (C-SET) developed a multi-collaborative study in order to present a micro-literature review of the innovative synergistic connection between mechatronics technologies and space agriculture, which consists of to collect information about the latest developments in this field. At the same time, this review targets to showcase the challenges and solutions to achieve a sustainable source of food for future astronauts for long-term spaceflight travels or colonizing other celestial bodies. Said solutions could be applied to the colonization of places such as the Moon and Mars, that already have research concerning their regolith. This work addresses and classifies the relevant studies in terms of applications, materials, and advances. Moreover, identify ongoing challenges and discuss future requirements for agriculture outside the Earth. Finally, this is the first research conducted in Latin America that summarizes the historical data related to plants in space.