Interstellar Lab’s Biopod looks like something out of Surviving Mars. It’s a climate- and oxygen-controlled inflatable dome capable of housing plant life, making it what they call a “super advanced self-contained greenhouse.”
In an interview with Wired (opens in a new tab)CEO of Interstellar Lab (opens in a new tab)Barbara Belvisi, says the interest of the Biopod is to “create the perfect climatic and atmospheric conditions for life” to combat food scarcity, whether here on Earth or in places where there is no food at all, like the Moon.
The venture capitalist said she needed to learn “a lot about aerospace, life support, agriculture and architecture” to start this company made up of former SpaceX, Tesla and Disney employees. On the company website (opens in a new tab)she predicts that in five years, “humans will be back on the Moon and this time to stay.”
Interstellar Lab is building a large-scale prototype in France where they will attempt to grow rare plants that require very specific environmental conditions to thrive. The Earth version of the Biopod is equipped with hydroponic and aquaponic equipment on a composite base. It can recycle water and uses the transparent dome as a solar filter. Oh, and there’s an airlock and an HVAC system for climate control.
In June, the company assembled the first true Biopod; it measures just over 36 feet long, 20 feet wide, and 16 feet high. However, the company showed off the concept of a smaller version of the pod called “Baby Dome” at the Mars Society 2020 virtual convention. (opens in a new tab).
Everything is monitored by an AI that adjusts environmental parameters based on the plant’s growth progress and predicts the potential yield of each crop.
As far as space colonization is concerned, the plan for the future is to be able to turn to the connection of a series of modular biopods designed for different uses, such as waste disposal or colonist accommodation. Belvisi told Wired he hopes the company has found a way to make more efficient tools for cleaning CO2 from air and wastewater.
However, the Biopod won’t be making any space travel anytime soon, as Interstellar Lab is still working on making the equipment lightweight and durable enough to withstand space travel. Currently, the company claims to have dozens of pre-orders from agricultural, pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies.
Interstellar Lab is also working on a prototype self-contained capsule for low Earth orbit for NASA and an inflatable module to attach to the International Space Station. Oh, and if you want your own state-of-the-art automated greenhouse to grow rare and exotic plants, pre-order (opens in a new tab) for the BioPod starting at $250,000, which will begin shipping to customers later next year.