Abstract: Space biomanufacturing supports long-term missions by generating products on-site and thereby reducing costly resupply. Because the deployment cost is dominated by the mass of transported components and resources, the total mass becomes a key design driver. The total system mass is thus a critical factor that dictates its design; specifically, mass constraints require tight system integration and restrict the type of resources and equipment used. In this work, we present a computational approach to conduct design and techno-economic analysis of space biomanufacturing systems, using lactic acid (LA) production as an example. LA is a platform chemical that can be converted into polylactic acid (PLA), a biodegradable polymer with multiple applications, including materials for habitat construction. We use the Equivalent System Mass (ESM) metric as the key design metric that maps system components (e.g., energy, resources, equipment) to a common mass basis. Our analysis reveals that the preservation modality plays a key role in overall system mass primarily due to energy use. We also found that lyophilized cultures can reduce storage energy use by up to 99% compared to cryopreservation. By leveraging in-situ resource utilization, an 8-ton system could supply the PLA required for a representative lunar habitat design, while reducing logistical mass requirement by nearly 90% relative to launching all materials from Earth. In addition, we find that radiation-induced reductions in microbial yield can increase system mass by up to 28%. These findings highlight how a mass-centered approach can guide the design of modular, resource-efficient biomanufacturing systems for future space habitats.
Authors:
Brenda Cansino-Loezaa, Vernon Mclntoshb, Krista Ternusb, Mayur Bansalc, Daniel J. Lakye, Luke Roberson f, Hal S. Alperd ,Victor M. Zavalaa
aDepartment of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1415 Engineering Dr, Madison, WI 53706, USA
bSignature Science, 8501 North Mopac Expressway, Suite 100, Austin, TX 78759, USA
cMcKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Graduate Program, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
dMcKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USAeDepartment of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
fNational Aeronautics and Space Administration, John F. Kennedy Space Center, Merritt Island, FL USA