NASA said on September 30, 2026 that it, the Canadian Space Agency and the German Aerospace Center have signed a joint statement of intent to begin coordinated preparatory work on an Earth-based demonstrator aimed at learning how to grow crops on the Moon.
What the agencies agreed
According to NASA, the three agencies signed a joint statement of intent covering coordinated, preparatory work toward an Earth-based demonstrator for lunar crop production. The agency said learning to grow crops on the Moon will be essential to helping astronauts go farther and stay longer in space.
The effort is called the Lunar Agriculture Module-Ground Test Demonstrator. NASA published the LAM-GTD joint statement as a PDF alongside its announcement.
What the demonstrator is meant to do
NASA said the demonstrator aims to develop the technologies needed to grow space crops and to study how they perform under atmospheres and controlled environments similar to those expected during missions at Moon Base.
Through Moon Base, NASA said it and its partners will build the infrastructure to support an enduring human presence near the Moon's South Pole, advancing science and technology while preparing for future human missions to Mars.
Why crops matter for deep space
Space crops will provide deep space crews with whole-food nutrition and increase dietary variety, NASA said. The agency added that crops can also absorb carbon dioxide, produce oxygen and recycle water.
Those capabilities will become increasingly important as human missions extend farther from Earth, according to NASA.
NASA also highlighted related plant work on the ground: it said horticulture scientist Blake Costine adjusted moisture sensors for the Advanced Plant Imaging project at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on April 17, 2023, a project that uses hyperspectral cameras to assess plant health inside the Plant Production Area at the Florida spaceport's Space Station Processing Facility.
Key facts and where they come from
- NASA, the Canadian Space Agency and the German Aerospace Center signed a joint statement of intent on preparatory work toward an Earth-based lunar crop demonstrator.
NASA, CSA (Canadian Space Agency), and the German Aerospace Center signed a joint statement of intent to begin coordinated, preparatory work toward an Earth-based demonstrator
- The project is named the Lunar Agriculture Module-Ground Test Demonstrator.
The Lunar Agriculture Module-Ground Test Demonstrator aims to develop the technologies needed to grow space crops
- The demonstrator will study crop performance under conditions similar to those expected at Moon Base.
study how they perform under atmospheres and controlled environments similar to those expected during missions at Moon Base
- NASA says Moon Base infrastructure will support an enduring human presence near the lunar South Pole.
build the infrastructure to support an enduring human presence near the Moon's South Pole
- NASA says crops offer nutrition plus life-support functions such as oxygen production and water recycling.
They can also absorb carbon dioxide, produce oxygen, and recycle water.