Projects that seek to study photosynthesis on the moon, explore water recycling in space and brew beer to examine yeast formation are some of the 25 experiments vying to fly to the moon aboard the Team Indus spacecraft. One of the experiments would also try to find out if cosmic radiation on the lunar surface can be used to generate electricity.
The space vehicle is scheduled for launch this year as part of Team Indus’ Lab2Moon competition. It is a global challenge for students under 25 to imagine, design and build a project that will accelerate human evolution into a sustainable multi-planetary species. Team Indus, run by Bengaluru-based aerospace start-up Axiom Research Labs, said that as many as 3000 teams from around the world participated in this competition.
“We are absolutely thrilled. There are so many great ideas that we will have to send multiple experiments to the moon!” said Rahul Narayan, Team Indus Fleet Commander, in a statement. He said the investigations will accelerate the understanding of viable living options beyond our planet and could ultimately result in better, “more sustainable practices back on earth.”
The shortlisted teams have each been assigned mentors from Team Indus. They will work closely with the teams to ensure that the standards needed for space grade experiments are observed and maintained, according to the firm.
“It is a fantastic opportunity for us to glimpse into the space industry,” said Sam Brass of LunaDome, a team from the University of Bath, U.K. shortlisted in the Lab2Moon competition, in a statement.
The winning experiments, that will fly on the Team Indus spacecraft to the moon will be announced in March 2017 after an extensive development program.
“Young students love space, as we can see from the success of the initiative, and they come with very ingenious and ambitious proposals,” said Alain Bensoussan, former president of French space agency CNES and former chairman of the council, European Space Agency, in a statement.
