Sago Worm Billed as Astronaut Food

A big round of applause to the Keeta team, the cooperation of Thai aerospace engineers from Chulabhorn Royal Academy, Chulalongkorn University, Valaya Alongkorn Rajabhat University, and other private sector who will represent Thailand and Asia in the second round of the “Deep Space Food Challenge”, an international competition organised by Nasa in partnership with the Canadian Space Administration (CSA) and the Methuselah Foundation.

The organisers are looking for novel and game-changing food technologies or systems that require minimal resources, produce negligible waste, and maximise safe, nutritious, and portable food output for long-duration space missions.

The team proposed the sago worm which is the larva of Rhynchophorus ferrugineus found in sago palm trunk. The sago worm can create a reliable food production system for a long-term mission of up to three years without any resupply from Earth. The worm is rich in protein and fat and is ideal for human consumption and fat and is ideal for human consumption. They can also be raised in an enclosed environment and are easy to harvest and maintain over long periods.

The Keeta team is currently endeavouring to move into the next phase of the competition and will be ready for an inspection by the Nasa team early next year.

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