Japanese space venture Tenchijin, accredited by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), is revolutionizing agriculture by applying its Tenchijin COMPASS data utilization platform. Tenchijin has a bold vision for future lunar agriculture and recently announced a milestone achievement – the successful harvest of “Moon Asparagus.”
As the lunar economy grows, the concept of vegetable cultivation on the Moon becomes more pertinent, albeit fraught with challenges. Tenchijin is meeting these challenges head-on, viewing them as an opportunity to develop innovative farming techniques.
To this end, the company has launched the “Tenchijin Farm,” an ambitious project that utilizes big space data to research and develops efficient cultivation methods. The ultimate goal is pinpointing the most sustainable locations for crop production on Earth and eventually in outer space. Asparagus, known for its potent antioxidant properties, is the primary focus, with the potential to support human health during lunar habitation.
The Tenchijin Farm project succeeds the “Space Big Data Rice project,” marking a progression in the company’s ambitious agricultural exploration. The company aims to cultivate high-quality asparagus in terrestrial fields in the first phase using advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence.
The initiative uses satellite data to identify the optimal land for asparagus cultivation. As the project evolves, the focus will shift toward developing techniques for crop growth in more hostile environments. This move will investigate climate change’s impact on crop growth, driving the development of farming techniques that can overcome such challenges.
Through rigorous research and development, Tenchijin hopes to amass the knowledge required for successful crop cultivation in harsh environments, including the moon. This data will be consolidated within the Tenchijin COMPASS platform, offering an integrated tool to visualize agricultural hurdles and enhance farming techniques.
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Photo by Inge Poelman on Unsplash
