NASA has concluded its "Mars to Table" competition, a challenge focused on developing integrated food production systems for future deep space exploration. The agency awarded a total of $650,000 to five winning teams, recognizing concepts that could provide sustainable, nutritious meals for a 15-person crew over a 500-sol mission.
The top prize of $300,000 was awarded to Chinyere Ukeje of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for the Adaptive Nourishment Infrastructure (ANI). This system utilizes a modular approach that incorporates controlled-environment agriculture, fungi cultivation, and bioreactors to recycle nutrients. The design aims to produce half of the crew's food requirements while maintaining functionality during potential resource shortages.
The second-place prize of $200,000 went to Cislune, based in Rosemead, California, for their "Fresh, Ferment, Reserve" infrastructure. This concept combines crop production with fermentation processes and a reserve supply to account for biological variability and equipment limitations.
Three additional teams received $50,000 awards for specific design achievements: Ohā Kanu from Hilo, Hawaii, for the Applied Frameworks Award; Orbital Health Systems, Inc. from Evansville, Indiana, for the Mission Simulation Award; and the Autonomic Resilience Collective from Bentonville, Arkansas, for the Human-Centered Design Award. Additionally, the Belgian team Astrofood was recognized as the international winner for their "Food Resilience Ecosystem for Space Habitats" (FRESH) concept.
The competition, which launched in January 2026, received 113 entries from 33 countries and 28 U.S. states. The initiative addresses the logistical challenges of long-duration space travel, where traditional pre-packaged food supplies from Earth are insufficient for missions lasting several months. According to NASA, these winning designs serve as foundational concepts for developing future technologies that will support human life on Mars.
Source: NASA
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