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Evaluation of the composition of the cyanobacterium Limnospira indica biomass produced during spaceflight onboard the International Space Station

ABSTRACT: Long-duration space missions require regenerative life support systems to produce oxygen, recycle water, and generate food. Within ESA s MELiSSA project, the cyanobacterium Limnospira indica is studied for its ability to fix CO2 and produce O2 and edible biomass. The Arthrospira-C (ArtC) experiment aboard the ISS evaluated oxygen and biomass productivity under continuous cultivation and different light intensities. Cultures were grown for 2.5 months in four autonomous photobioreactors in space, with identical ground controls. Post-flight biochemical and multi-omics analyses (proteomics, lipidomics, polysaccharides, pigments, vitamins) showed no significant differences in biomass composition between space- and ground-grown samples. Protein, carbohydrate, lipid, and monosaccharide profiles were highly similar, with only 3% of proteins differentially expressed. However, excreted polysaccharides increased by 238% at the highest light intensity in space. Overall, metabolism was primarily driven by light and operational conditions rather than spaceflight itself. These findings confirm the stability and suitability of L. indica for regenerative life support systems in long-duration missions.

INSTRUMENT(S): TripleTOF 6600, ZenoTOF 7600

ORGANISM(S): Limnospira Indica (ncbitaxon:147322)

SUBMITTER: Cecile Renaud

PROVIDER: MSV000100942 | MassIVE | Mon Feb 23 15:49:00 GMT 2026

REPOSITORIES: MassIVE

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Evaluation of the composition of the cyanobacterium Limnospira indica biomass produced during spaceflight onboard the International Space Station

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