{"id":6106,"date":"2025-08-06T08:29:01","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T13:29:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.und.edu\/press-releases\/?p=6106"},"modified":"2025-08-06T08:29:01","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T13:29:01","slug":"und-safetyspect-adding-moonlight-to-space-agriculture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.und.edu\/press-releases\/2025\/08\/und-safetyspect-adding-moonlight-to-space-agriculture\/","title":{"rendered":"UND, SafetySpect adding \u2018MoonLight\u2019 to space agriculture"},"content":{"rendered":"

NASA-funded program seeks to advance sustainable food production in space environments<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Hossein
Hossein Kashani Zadeh, assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering, is working with SafetySpect Inc. on supporting sustainable food production in space. Contributed image.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A UND researcher and a pair of graduate students are hoping to shed a little \u201cMoonLight\u201d on how plants are grown in space.<\/p>\n

The researchers have teamed up with Grand Forks-based SafetySpect Inc. on a NASA-funded Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I<\/a><\/strong> project aimed at transforming how crop health is monitored in space. The project, titled \u201cMoonLight,\u201d will develop an autonomous plant sensing platform designed for extraterrestrial environments such as the International Space Station, Lunar Gateway and future Mars habitats.<\/p>\n

The $150,0000 award was granted to SafetySpect Inc.,<\/a><\/strong> the small business lead organization, with UND serving as a research partner through a subaward. The initiative brings together SafetySpect\u2019s innovation in optical sensing and artificial intelligence with UND\u2019s nationally recognized strengths in autonomous systems, sensor technologies and space science.<\/p>\n

Hossein Kashani Zadeh<\/a><\/strong>, assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering,<\/a><\/strong> is UND\u2019s principal investigator in the project. Through their technical input, doctoral students Abdolrahim Zandi from Biomedical Engineering<\/a><\/strong> and Gilbert Cauthorn from Space Studies<\/a><\/strong> are bringing an interdisciplinary perspective to the project.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re proud to support this groundbreaking effort in collaboration with SafetySpect,\u201d said Zadeh. \u201cThe project leverages UND\u2019s expertise in advanced sensing technologies and aligns with our broader research goals in environmental monitoring and space systems engineering.\u201d<\/p>\n

The MoonLight platform integrates hyperspectral reflectance imaging, hyperspectral fluorescence imaging, Light Detection and Ranging or LiDAR and real-time environmental sensors measuring carbon dioxide, humidity, temperature and light intensity. This multi-modal sensing system enables early, non-invasive detection of plant stress, disease and nutrient deficiencies, with the overall goal of supporting sustainable food production in controlled space environments.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn early plant stress sensing system can have a transformational impact on space agriculture, where growing conditions are extreme, resources are limited, and failure is costly,\u201d Fartash Vasefi, chief technology officer of SafetySpect.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are grateful for UND\u2019s partnership and the exceptional expertise their team brings to this mission. From cutting-edge sensor research to access to one-of-a-kind facilities such as the inflatable lunar habitat,<\/strong><\/a> UND provides an unparalleled environment for innovation. Their interdisciplinary approach and commitment to advancing space agriculture are essential to helping us deliver a system that can meet the rigorous demands of extraterrestrial food production. We believe these developments can have a significant positive impact in vertical farming here on earth.\u201d<\/p>\n

UND\u2019s participation in the project builds on the University\u2019s recent establishment of a Space Agriculture Laboratory within the BioInnovation Zone (BiZ),<\/a><\/strong> which serves as serves as a hub for cutting-edge research and development in the field of BioEngineering.<\/p>\n

This Space Agriculture lab is dedicated to developing sustainable food systems for space and extreme environments and further strengthens North Dakota\u2019s growing role in this emerging field.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Media contact:\u00a0<\/strong>Adam Kurtz, adam.kurtz.1@UND.edu<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Photo: 1.6 MB<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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