By 2025, Australia hopes to cultivate plants on the moon

Australian scientists are attempting to cultivate plants on the moon by 2025 as part of a new project announced Friday that they hoped would pave the way for a future colony. Plant researcher Brett Williams of the Queensland University of Technology stated that seeds will be delivered by the private Israeli lunar mission Beresheet 2. After landing, they would be watered inside the enclosed room and monitored for signs of germination and development. Plants will be chosen based on their ability to withstand harsh circumstances and germinate fast.

One possible candidate is an Australian resurrection grass, which can exist in a dormant condition without water. The initiative is a first step toward cultivating plants for food, medicine, and oxygen generation, all of which are necessary for establishing human life on the moon.

Caitlin Byrt, an Associate Professor at the Australian National University in Canberra, said the study was also important to climate change-related food security concerns. If you can develop a system for growing plants on the moon, you can develop a system for growing food in some of the most difficult places on the planet.

The initiative is led by the Lunaria One organization, which includes experts from Australia and Israel.