Green horizons: how plant synthetic biology can enable space exploration and drive on Earth sustainability.

As humanity looks towards expanding activity from low Earth orbit to the Moon and beyond, resource use efficiency and self-sustainability will be critical to ensuring success in the long term. Furthermore, solutions developed for the stringent requirements of space will be equally valuable in meeting sustainability goals here on Earth. Advances in synthetic biology allow us to harness the complex metabolism of life to produce the materials we need in situ. Translating those lessons learned from microbial systems to more carbon-efficient photosynthetic organisms is an area of growing interest. Plants can be engineered to sustainably meet a range of needs, from fuels to materials and medicines. [Display omitted] • Human exploration and habitation in space necessitates and inspires innovation. • Plant photosynthetic capability and scalability brings advantages beyond food production. • Synbio-driven biomanufacturing can support off-Earth human habitation. • It will require robust chassis coupled with genetic circuitry to deliver on-demand production. • This will support the growing closed-environment agriculture and bioeconomy sectors on Earth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]