This Startup Is About to Grow Plants in Outer Space
Why It Matters
Space‑grown high‑value crops could create lucrative new revenue streams while proving the viability of commercial agriculture beyond Earth, accelerating the push toward a multi‑planetary economy.
Key Takeaways
- •Interstellar Labs builds space‑ready greenhouses for crops and cosmetics
- •Raised $15 million, now 40 staff, multiple NASA prototypes deployed
- •Partnered with private stations VAS, Axium, Voyager for orbital tests
- •Secured L’Oréal and other cosmetics clients for high‑value plant biomass
- •"Mission Little Prince" will grow roses on ISS, Moon, then Mars
Summary
Interstellar Labs, a 40‑person startup, is turning a childhood greenhouse idea into a space‑based agriculture platform. Leveraging reduced launch costs after SpaceX’s reusable rockets, the company aims to grow plants in orbit, on the Moon and eventually Mars, while also commercializing the technology on Earth.
The firm has raised $15 million, built multiple prototypes, and delivered two NASA‑approved growth chambers to Kennedy Space Center. It now supplies plug‑and‑play food‑production modules to private stations such as VAS, Axium and Voyager, and has secured high‑value contracts with cosmetics giants like L’Oréal for space‑grown biomass.
A flagship project, "Mission Little Prince," will cultivate a rose aboard the ISS, then on the lunar surface and later on Mars, in partnership with the author’s estate and Astrolab. The mission’s proceeds support STEM education and cancer research, and the technical challenge of growing a rose validates the system’s ability to handle more demanding crops.
If successful, Interstellar Labs could open a new market for premium, space‑grown ingredients, reduce reliance on Earth‑based agriculture, and demonstrate a scalable path for commercial space farming—an essential step toward a multi‑planetary human presence.
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