The BioAsteroid experiment tested microbial biomining of asteroidal (L-chondrite) material under microgravity aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Two heterotrophic microorganisms — the bacterium Sphingomonas desiccabilis CP1D and the fungus Penicillium simplicissimum DSM 1078 — were flown both as single strains and as an artificial two-member consortium on crushed Northwest Africa (NWA) 869 L-chondrite meteorite fragments, in a 50% v/v R2A medium, inside BioMining Reactors housed in KUBIK incubators. The study measured leaching of 44 elements (including the platinum-group elements ruthenium, palladium and platinum, and other elements of industrial interest) from the meteorite and compared microbial versus abiotic (non-biological) leaching under microgravity and terrestrial gravity. Penicillium simplicissimum was the most effective bioleaching organism in microgravity, enhancing release of palladium, platinum and other elements relative to non-biological controls, while Sphingomonas desiccabilis formed a contiguous biofilm on the rock surface but performed similarly or worse than the abiotic control for most platinum-group elements. In the consortium, the fungus alone outperformed the mixture for palladium, suggesting an antagonistic effect of the bacterium. Metabolomic analysis showed distinct, microgravity-dependent changes in microbial metabolism, particularly for P. simplicissimum, with increased production of carboxylic acids and other molecules of potential biomining or pharmaceutical interest. The work demonstrates proof of principle for microbe-driven transformation of asteroidal material for in situ resource utilization in space.
Taxonomy
| Taxon | Ontology ID | Functional Roles | Abundance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sphingomonas desiccabilis CP1D — ontology label: Sphingomonas desiccabilis | NCBITaxon:429134 · TaxonMech · TraitMech |
PRIMARY_DEGRADER
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N/A |
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| Penicillium simplicissimum DSM 1078 — ontology label: Penicillium simplicissimum | NCBITaxon:69488 · TaxonMech · TraitMech |
PRIMARY_DEGRADER
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N/A |
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Ecological Interactions
The graph shows only explicitly linked interaction participants. Community members without an asserted participant link are omitted; membership alone does not imply an interaction.
Fungal bioleaching of platinum-group and critical elements from L-chondrite
P. simplicissimum showed higher mean release of several elements from L-chondrite in ISS incubations. Most pairwise ISS comparisons were nonsignificant; phosphorus release relative to the non-biological control was significant. PARTIAL - carboxylic-acid signals support proposed fungal bioleaching chemistry, not necessary mediation by specific acids. Canonical acids such as citrate were not detected in the inspected study; bulk elemental measurements do not establish ionic speciation.
Participating Taxa: Penicillium simplicissimum DSM 1078
Metabolites: palladium (CHEBI:33363 · MediaIngredientMech · CMMMech), vanadium (CHEBI:27698 · MediaIngredientMech · CMMMech), carboxylic acid (CHEBI:33575 · MediaIngredientMech · CMMMech)
Evidence
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PMID:41617698 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"Penicillium simplicissimum enhanced the release of palladium, platinum and other elements in microgravity"
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PMID:41617698 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"enhanced bioleaching of phosphorus, vanadium and copper compared to the bacterium"
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PMID:41617698 - PARTIAL (IN_VITRO)"increased production of carboxylic acids"
Bacterial and fungal biofilm colonization of the meteorite surface
S. desiccabilis and P. simplicissimum colonized the meteorite surface; images showed bacterial rods and fungal filaments together in consortium samples under both gravity conditions. Co-colonization does not show that either partner enhances the other's establishment or that biofilm formation is required for the measured leaching. The source explicitly could not associate observed biofilm growth with leaching yield.
Participating Taxa: Sphingomonas desiccabilis CP1D, Penicillium simplicissimum DSM 1078
Biological Processes:
- biofilm formation (GO:0042710 · PathwayMech)
Evidence
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PMID:41617698 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"formed a contiguous biofilm across many areas of the rock"
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PMID:41617698 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"the bacterium and the fungus interacting in a similar fashion in both gravity conditions"
Candidate Bacterial Antagonism of Fungal Palladium Leaching
PARTIAL - mean palladium extraction was lower for the mixed consortium than for the fungus alone, and the authors proposed bacterial antagonism. The ISS pairwise difference was nonsignificant. This extraction endpoint does not establish suppression of fungal growth, reciprocal negative fitness, or an independently tested mediator of the same leaching outcome.
Source Taxon: Sphingomonas desiccabilis CP1D
Target Taxon: Penicillium simplicissimum DSM 1078
Metabolites: palladium (CHEBI:33363 · MediaIngredientMech · CMMMech)
Evidence
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PMID:41617698 - PARTIAL (IN_VITRO)"the fungus alone outperformed the consortium, possibly due to the antagonistic effects of the bacterium"
Knowledge gaps & discussions (1)
KNOWLEDGE_GAP OPEN Do partner fitness, acid perturbations and biofilm interventions resolve the proposed leaching mechanisms?
Whole cached main text, tables and captions were reviewed, not figure images, supplements or raw metabolomics. Most ISS contrasts are nonsignificant, and biomass images were not linked to extraction yield. Specific acid mediation, partner inhibition and the supplemental contamination assessment remain unresolved. Preserve #1217 canonical palladium labels and previously pruned biofilm-to-antagonism linkage.
Attaches to: ecological_interactions#Fungal bioleaching of platinum-group and critical elements from L-chondrite, ecological_interactions#Bacterial and fungal biofilm colonization of the meteorite surface, ecological_interactions#Candidate Bacterial Antagonism of Fungal Palladium Leaching
External Resources
| Name | Repository | Resource ID |
|---|---|---|
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Primary publication - BioAsteroid ISS microbial biomining (npj Microgravity 2026)
Version-of-record publication reporting the BioAsteroid experiment: microbial biomining of 44 elements from L-chondrite asteroidal material aboard the ISS under microgravity (PMID:41617698). |
OTHER | doi:10.1038/s41526-026-00567-3 |
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bioRxiv preprint - BioAsteroid experiment
bioRxiv preprint of the same BioAsteroid experiment; the npj Microgravity version of record (doi:10.1038/s41526-026-00567-3) is preferred for evidence. |
OTHER | doi:10.1101/2024.01.13.575412 |
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NCBI Taxonomy - Sphingomonas desiccabilis
NCBI Taxonomy record for Sphingomonas desiccabilis. |
OTHER | NCBITaxon:429134 |
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NCBI Taxonomy - Penicillium simplicissimum
NCBI Taxonomy record for Penicillium simplicissimum. |
OTHER | NCBITaxon:69488 |
Environmental Factors
| Factor | Value | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Microgravity (ISS spaceflight) | microgravity | N/A |
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| Meteorite substrate (L-chondrite, NWA 869) | Northwest Africa (NWA) 869 L3-6 chondrite regolith breccia | N/A |
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| Incubation temperature and duration | ~19.5-20 °C for 19 days | N/A |
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| Medium pH | 7.2 | pH |
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Growth Media
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