Orbital Today

Space Station Experiment Shows Microbes Can Mine Valuable Metals In Orbit

Researchers aboard the International Space Station grew the fungus Penicillium simplicissimum with powdered meteorite and recovered measurable palladium, marking the first successful orbital biomining of a precious metal. The fungal cultures outperformed a bacterial counterpart, extracting 18 of 44 measured elements from the rock. Microgravity altered fluid dynamics and fungal metabolism, boosting organic‑acid production that facilitated metal leaching. The findings demonstrate that living systems can actively process extraterrestrial resources, a key step toward in‑situ resource utilization for deep‑space missions.