DARPA November 22, 2021
DARPA announced Biomanufacturing: Survival, Utility, and Reliability beyond Earth (B-SURE) program which offers a novel approach for in-situ manufacturing in far-forward locations, including space and provide DoD-relevant molecules and materials and alleviate supply chain burdens associated with space operations. To accomplish this goal, B-SURE will collect data on the microbial utilization of space-based alternative feedstocks, optimization of microbial growth in variable gravities, and mitigation strategies for identified effects of galactic cosmic radiation on microbial growth and bioproduction. The 18-month effort involves three tracks – Track 1 “Alternative Feedstock Utilization” will determine which alternative feedstocks can be consumed by host organisms and at what quantity and purity levels; Track 2 “Variable Gravity” will identify the impact of variable gravity on cellular performance in the context of biomanufacturing parameters and how terrestrial analogs predict on-orbit molecule production; Track 3 “Variable Radiation” will discover the effects of variable radiation on microbial molecule production. BAA …read more.
Credit: DARPA