CREATING A CIRCULAR FUTURE
THE EUROPEAN PROJECT
OF CIRCULAR LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM
For more than 30 years, The European Space Agency (i.e. ESA) is active in the field of regenerative life support system. MELiSSA (Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative) is the European project of circular life support system. It was established to gain knowledge on regenerative system, aiming to the highest degree of autonomy and consequently to produce food, water and oxygen from mission wastes. The MELiSSA project has been initiated in 1987 after a preliminary flight on board Chinese rocket Longue Marche. In October 1988, the concept was elaborated and published. The contractual activities started in 1989.
MELiSSA Foundation is a non-profit organisation created by the MELiSSA partners to finance and harmonise MELiSSA PhDs and PostDocs.
The MELiSSA Foundation is hosting as well all communications and education issues of the MELiSSA Project.
Research & development
Preliminary Flight experiments
GROUND DEMONSTRATION
TERRESTRIAL APPLICATIONS
EDUCATION & COMMUNICATION
MELiSSA Events
The 2020 seminar has been merged with the 2021 seminar. It will take place at AgroParisTech, from the 19th to 23rd April 2021. It will focus on the challenges of the bioeconomy. The program includes two days of scientific conferences which can be watched in streaming on the 20th and 21st April, and which will be open to a face-to-face audience (upon registration).
On June 5, 2020, discover the conference organized at Mas d'Entremont in Aix-en-Provence (France). It will take place after the General Assembly of France Chimie and Novachim.
The 2020 edition of MELiSSA Conference is the European platform dedicated to closed life support system. It is the place to share and exchange about fundamental and applied research for Space and Earth applications.
Actualities
"Plant cultivation systems for Bioregenerative Life-Support Systems in Space developed on Earth need to be tested in space, where reduced gravity alters the liquid and gas behavior both within the plant and between the plant and its surrounding environment, making the distribution of water and nutrients a critical issue. The ESA project “Precursor of Food Production Unit” (PFPU) aims to design a modular cultivation system for edible tuberous plants (such as potato and sweet potato) in microgravity, to be preliminary tested in ground conditions in the view of successive space application."
FGWRS (Firmus Grey Water Recycling System) aims to offer their recycling technology in households to finally stop wasting clean water!
MELiSSA PARTNERS
Around 50 organisations (e.g. universities, research centers, space industries, terrestrial companies) are involved in the project. 15 partners have signed a Memorandum of Understanding. MELiSSA is internationally recognized as the most advanced effort to develop closed loop life support systems. Today, the MELiSSA partners are from Belgium, Spain, France, Switzerland, Italy, The Netherlands and Canada.
CONCLUSIONS OF THE ESA WORKING GROUP ON LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS
On April 30th, ESA member states issued the conclusions of the ESA Working Group on Life Support Systems.
Among the recommendations, the WG took note of the very robust approach of MELiSSA project on Fundamental research, Flights demonstrators (e.g ARTEMISS, URINIS, Photobioreactor, ...), Pilot Plant, Commercial activities and Education. The report includes as well the MELiSSA approved roadmaps and proposed MELiSSA activities and fundings for the coming 3 years.