NASA opens Mars to Table challenge to design Earth‑independent food system

NASA has launched the Deep Space Food Challenge: Mars to Table, a global competition inviting chefs, innovators, culinary experts, higher‑education students and citizen scientists to design a complete, Earth‑independent food system for long‑duration space missions. The effort is tied to Artemis II, which will send four astronauts around the Moon, and aims to support longer missions that could last months or years.

Solvers must create a full meal plan suitable for astronauts living on Mars using a NASA‑created mission scenario and submit a complete food‑system concept, including a detailed operations plan and system layout that supports a surface mission. Teams must address nutritional balance, taste, safety, usability and integration with NASA’s Environmental Control and Life Support Systems.

The challenge is open now through July 31 and offers a prize purse of up to $750,000. NASA said Mars to Table builds on the agency’s first Deep Space Food Challenge by seeking to integrate multiple food production and preparation methods into a holistic, self‑sustaining system. Greg Stover, acting associate administrator of NASA’s Space Technology Missions Directorate, said exploration missions will grow in duration and distance and that opening the door to ideas outside the agency strengthens NASA’s ability to operate farther from Earth.

Key Topics

Science, Nasa, Artemis Ii, Mars, Life Support Systems, Methuselah Foundation