Biomanufacturing for a Lunar base—A sustainable vision for the future

A Lunar base provides a new opportunity for the sustainable use of resources. Earth's resources are diminishing at the same time as the human population is growing. Establishing a sustainable Lunar base that utilizes biomanufacturing provides a way to produce unique items and locally supply necessities such as food, fuel, and materials. Ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) is a way to explore developing research areas such as biomanufacturing. This article utilizes ELSI as a method to evaluate the sustainability of biomanufacturing on a Lunar base. Biomanufacturing that uses different processed waste as a feedstock helps to close the loop on resource use. The bioregenerative life support system (BLiSS) can be utilized by biomanufacturing to provide opportunities for unique space-made products in the circular economy. Socially, this leads to a paradigm shift where waste is viewed as a potential resource. Different membrane bioreactor permeates and in-situ resource use (ISRU) were evaluated as feedstocks. ISRU has the advantage of being supported by the Artemis Accords and US national policy. Stakeholder benefits and concerns were described for taxpayers, astronauts, entrepreneurs, Lunar occupants, astrobiologists, and onward journey astronauts. Biomanufacturing was found to contribute to sustainability and basic survival; however, safety and environmental protection measures will require further research. Core expectations were listed to summarize ELSI results. This includes stakeholder and community engagement, environmental health and safety for astronauts, and significant environmental degradation risk mitigation. Ethically, biomanufacturing for a Lunar base helps the general welfare by meeting current needs while providing future generations with an enduring and lasting legacy. Overall, it was found that biomanufacturing leads to cost savings, greater sustainable space resource use, and opportunities to expand the space economy.