Mushrooms sent to space return to Earth & end up in pasta: Australian researchers send lion’s mane, turkey’s tail and cordyceps to the ISS, then watch what happens when they return

What happens when mushrooms are sent into space and brought back to Earth? Researchers in Australia turned that question into an unusual food experiment after sending edible fungi to the International Space Station (ISS). In August 2024, a team from Swinburne University of Technology sent 36 small vials containing fungal mycelium aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The samples travelled to the ISS, where they remained for almost a month before eventually returning to Earth.

The experiment did not end in a laboratory. After the fungi came back to Australia in 2025, the researchers successfully grew mushrooms from the space-travelled samples and even cooked some of them into a creamy pasta sauce.

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Mushrooms sent to space

The experiment was led by astrophysicists Sara Webb and Rebecca Allen as part of Swinburne University of Technology's microgravity research programme.

The team selected three edible fungi for the study: lion's mane, turkey's tail and cordyceps. Rather than sending fully grown mushrooms, the researchers transported mycelium, the thread-like network from which mushrooms develop.

The project was designed to explore whether edible fungi could remain viable after spending time in the space environment and later produce mushrooms once returned to Earth.

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The experiment also involved students. Twelve students from Haileybury College in Melbourne contributed to the design and prototyping of the project, while mushroom growers and suppliers helped provide food-grade fungal material.

Fungi spent nearly a month aboard the ISS

The mycelium was placed in specialised sealed containers before being sent into space. Because the experiment remained enclosed aboard the ISS, researchers could not continuously observe what was happening inside.

Instead, the team received occasional photographs and videos of the experiment during its time on the space station.

After almost a month in orbit, the fungal samples returned to Earth with a crew change and eventually made their way back to Australia in 2025.

Space-travelled fungi started growing again

Once the samples were back, researchers transferred the mycelium into nutrient-rich growing material. They divided the samples among different growing environments to determine whether the fungi could develop successfully. The results appeared quickly.

Within just a few days, the researchers noticed mushrooms beginning to emerge. About a week later, lion's mane mushrooms were ready to harvest.

The team subsequently experimented with different ways of preparing the mushrooms. One of the most memorable outcomes was a creamy pasta dish made using the freshly grown lion's mane.

The researchers described the mushrooms as dense, aromatic and rich in flavour, with their distinctive taste noticeable in the cheesy sauce.

Did space change the mushrooms?

The experiment showed that the mycelium remained viable after its journey to the ISS and continued producing mushrooms after returning to Earth.

However, researchers are still studying exactly what effect the space environment may have had on the fungi.

The team is examining the harvested mushrooms to understand whether exposure to conditions such as radiation and reduced gravity caused any changes. This is important because a mushroom surviving a space journey does not necessarily mean it remains identical to one grown entirely on Earth.

Could fungi become food for future astronauts?

The research could have implications for future long-duration space missions.

Producing some food during a mission could reduce the amount of supplies that astronauts need to transport from Earth. Fungi are particularly interesting because mycelium can be stored in a relatively compact form and used to produce mushrooms when suitable growing conditions are provided.

For missions lasting weeks or months, researchers are exploring different ways of producing fresh food away from Earth. Fungi could potentially become part of such systems if scientists establish that they can safely grow and remain nutritious under spaceflight conditions.

From the ISS to creamy pasta

The Swinburne experiment was not simply about growing mushrooms in space. It was an early investigation into whether edible fungi could withstand a space journey, remain viable and later produce fruiting bodies.

For now, the researchers have demonstrated an unusually down-to-Earth outcome: fungi travelled to the International Space Station, returned to Australia, produced fresh mushrooms and eventually became part of a meal.

Further analysis will determine what happened to the fungi during their time in space and whether similar experiments could eventually contribute to food production during longer missions beyond low Earth orbit.


Inputs from agencies