First Commercial Greenhouse in Outer Space Ready To Reach for the Stars

By Fast Company|August 19, 2022

Redwire announced it will develop the first commercially owned and operated space greenhouse. The project, funded by an award from the International Space Station (ISS) National Lab, will generate insights to support both crop science on Earth and future exploration missions.

Redwire Greenhouse will take flight no earlier than spring 2023 and, if all goes to plan, will be the first commercially owned greenhouse on the ISS.

“Growing full crops in space will be critical to future space exploration missions as plants provide food, oxygen, and water reclamation,” Dave Reed, Redwire Florida Launch Site Operations Director and Greenhouse Project Manager, says in a press release. “Increasing the throughput of crop production research in space, through commercially developed capabilities, will be important to deliver critical insights for NASA’s Artemis missions and beyond.”

Redwire is no stranger to the space plant game. The mission will make use of the company’s already flight-qualified plant growth tech, including passive orbital nutrient delivery system devices. These devices, developed in partnership with Tupperware, are currently on the ISS. Redwire has also managed plant investigations in NASA’s Advanced Plant Habitat since 2018.

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