Australia Sends Oyster Mushrooms to Space on Historic Polar Orbit Mission

For the first time, a crop of mushrooms is being grown in space. Aboard SpaceX’s privately funded Fram2 mission, Australian company FOODiQ Global is experimenting with cultivating oyster mushrooms in microgravity—a milestone for fungi and space agriculture alike.

The Fram2 mission, launched in early April from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, is the first human spaceflight to orbit Earth’s polar regions. Over the course of its three-to-five-day journey, the crew is conducting 22 experiments, including radiation monitoring and the cultivation of fungi. The mushroom trial is being managed by polar explorer and private astronaut Eric Philips, who will observe growth patterns, yield, and any signs of contamination.

Mushrooms are seen as a promising food for space exploration thanks to their speed of growth and mix of vital nutrients. Photograph: FOODiQ Global

Why Mushrooms?

“Mushrooms are the perfect space crop,” said FOODiQ CEO and nutrition scientist Dr. Flávia Fayet-Moore. They grow quickly, require minimal inputs, and offer a high nutritional return. Pleurotus ostreatus (oyster mushrooms), for instance, double in size daily, can be eaten raw, and naturally produce vitamin D when exposed to ultraviolet light—a critical nutrient for astronauts dealing with bone loss in microgravity.

FOODiQ’s experiment seeks to assess how microgravity affects fungal fruiting bodies, marking a departure from earlier space-based studies that focused only on mycelium. The mushrooms grown in orbit will be compared to control kits stored on Earth to evaluate differences in nutrient composition and structural development.

A Growing Interest in Space Mycology

While this may be the first attempt to grow full mushrooms in space, fungi have been involved in space research before. In 2023, Australian scientists from Swinburne University sent mycelia of Hericium erinaceus (lion’s mane), Trametes versicolor (turkey tail), and Cordyceps species to the International Space Station. However, those samples didn’t have the space or conditions required for fruiting.

This time, Pleurotus ostreatus has a dedicated habitat aboard the Fram2 capsule. The mission’s broader goal is to assess how adaptable fungi are in controlled life support systems—critical knowledge for future missions to the Moon or Mars.

A Mission of Firsts

Fram2 is named after the steam-and-sail ship used by Roald Amundsen in his expedition to the South Pole. Like its namesake, this mission explores uncharted territory. It’s the first human mission to fly a polar orbit, and it’s being bankrolled by Maltese tech entrepreneur Chun Wang. Alongside Wang and Philips are Norwegian filmmaker Jannicke Mikkelsen and German roboticist Rabea Rogges.

Fram2 mission astronauts who will be first to circle the Earth from pole to pole: From left to right: pilot Rabea Rogge, Mission specialist and medical officer Eric Phillips, mission commander Chun Wang and vehicle commander Jannicke Mikkelsen. Photograph: SpaceX/via Reuters Connect

Launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket, the capsule is designed to circle Earth over the poles—providing global coverage more commonly used for Earth observation satellites. This orbit subjects the crew to slightly higher radiation levels, especially during solar flares, but the short duration of the mission mitigates the risk.

Fungi for Future Missions

NASA ranks food and nutrition solutions for lunar and Mars missions among its top 30 civil space challenges. Mushrooms fit well into this agenda—not only for their nutritional density but also for their potential to support closed-loop ecosystems. Their ability to break down waste, support plant growth, and synthesize complex molecules makes them strong candidates for life support systems beyond Earth.

“We don't yet have tech to process food in space, so NASA’s focusing on ‘grow, pick, eat’ crops,” Fayet-Moore explained. “Lettuce, tomatoes, and mushrooms top that list.”

Back on Earth, FOODiQ Global will examine the returned mushrooms to assess whether space conditions enhanced or hindered their nutritional composition. Whatever the outcome, this experiment marks a small step for fungi and a giant leap for space farming.