SFT 2026-27 - AI Plant Growth for Space

NASA Reference Name: ERT-P1-2026-AI-Plant - Lunar - Autonomous - Robot

Executive Summary

Build an AI-assisted system that monitors enclosed-habitat plants in real time, automatically adjusts conditions to reduce stress, and actively promotes the growth of each individual plant — factoring in artificial light and reduced (1/6 g) gravity. Deliverable: an automated 'robot greenhouse' concept/prototype that diagnoses issues and adjusts care (water, light height, climate) per plant, a defined list of monitored stressors, and a proposed pollination-automation approach.

Requested By

NASA — NASA Staff, Exploration Research and Technology, Kennedy Space Center

Problem Statement

Astronauts must grow plants inside confined Moon, Mars, and ISS habitats where resources — especially water — are scarce and crew time is extremely limited. Individually potted plants face multiple stresses (water, air, temperature, airflow, soil pH, radiation), and tasks such as watering and pollination are done by hand. A system is needed that uses AI to detect plant stress in real time, automatically reduce it, and promote healthy growth per plant while conserving resources.

Requirements Overview

Real-time, 24/7 monitoring with automated feedback control

AI stress detection: water, air, temperature, airflow, soil pH (and radiation)

Individualized watering — no over- or under-watering

Automated growth promotion (e.g., adjustable LED light height)

Resource-efficient: minimal water use and crew time

Automated pollination method (e.g., air-blast)

Contamination control / growth-medium sterilization

Major Constraints

Water is the most precious, limited resource — essentially zero waste allowed

Astronaut time is extremely limited — no hours for manual care or pollination

Confined, enclosed habitat — individual potted plants, not large crops

Reduced gravity — microgravity (ISS) and 1/6 g (Moon) affect growth and pollination

No bugs (no live pollinators)

Key Challenges

Pollination in enclosed / low-gravity habitats (hand brush vs. air-blast)

Contamination control: stray seeds/weeds; growth-medium sterilization

Allergen containment (allergens stay aboard the ISS; Moon filtering unknown)

Reduced-gravity effects on roots, growth, and pollination

Radiation, extreme temperatures, regolith toxicity

Balancing factors that promote vs. retard growth

Cards

1 — Other Points / Comments

Must align with NASA HUNCH / Moon to Mars to be eligible

Compare ISS systems — Veggie (open) vs. APH (sealed, airflow-controlled)

Context: an expanding lunar build-out — habitats, comms, rover rentals, roads (regolith)

Strong spinoff value for Earth (water-efficient vertical farming)

2 — Examples of Excellence

Benchmark: the NASA Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) — the largest fully automated, fully enclosed plant habitat flown on the ISS

Closed-loop control of water, atmosphere, moisture, and temperature

Sensors and cameras in constant contact with the Kennedy ground team

Supports experiments lasting up to 180 days

Sets the standard for automated, enclosed, hands-off plant care

3 — Examples of Innovation

AI-driven, per-plant individualized care (water and light)

Grow lights that automatically raise as plants grow taller

Robotic / air-blast pollination to save scarce crew time

Integration with bioregenerative life support (MELiSSA, BIO-Plex)

Artemis III LEAF — the first lunar-surface plant biology experiment

Automatic stress diagnosis paired with automatic correction

Suggestions for High School Students

Scope can be scaled to the team's level

Start with water optimization only, then add stressors (air, temperature, airflow, soil pH)

Add growth-promotion controls (e.g., automated lighting height) as a next phase

Treat pollination automation (air-blast) as a stretch goal

Choose the target environment (ISS vs. Moon) to match the difficulty you want

Please review more info below:

Requirements Spec

Other Points / Comments

Examples of Excellence

Samples of Innovation

User Stories