Future astronauts on long-duration missions to the Moon or Mars could survive on a protein powder made from “thin air” and urine, the European Space Agency has announced.

A new pilot program aims to test the feasibility of producing a protein powder called Solein, which requires just microbes, air and electricity to manufacture.

Developed by Finnish startup Solar Foods, the nutritious powder relies on urea – found in urine – as a nitrogen source for protein synthesis.

The ESA will fund a project to test the manufacturing of this new form of space food aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

It will be the first time that the fundamentals of gas fermentation technology will be used in a space environment, and could have profound implications of the future diets of astronauts.

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