“Plants grown under altered gravity conditions show robust aerial parts and healthy growth”

French biotech company Orius has shared early plant responses from trials in its in-house gravity simulator, Gravilab, alongside the engineering choices that made whole-plant measurements possible.

The first crop under study is Brassica rapa var. japonica (mizuna), a compact, fast-cycling leafy green used in prior space-biology work. "The plants grown under altered gravity conditions show robust aerial parts and healthy growth," the Orius R&D team says. "The root systems, however, tell a different story. Instead of diving deep vertically, the roots are spreading out more horizontally."

Next, the team will quantify root architecture, the root-to-shoot balance, and time to maturity, then progress to seed set and inheritance before moving to a fruiting model (Micro-Tom tomato).

© Orius

How the simulator is used
Gravilab does not change gravity itself; it randomizes plant orientation so the plant never senses a fixed gravity vector, approximating micro- and partial-gravity via defined rotation patterns generated by a proprietary algorithm.

To produce actionable plant data, Orius built Gravilab as a fully integrated research setup. "Gravilab is equipped with a multispectral LED lighting system and an integrated fertigation setup," the team notes. "We place Gravilab in our controlled growth chamber (Biomecell), where CO₂ levels and climate conditions are continuously controlled. All parameters are tracked through our control software, BiomeOS, which allows researchers to monitor every variable in real time and extract comprehensive data for analysis," the Orius R&D team says.

Early trials report nearly 100 percent germination in mizuna under simulated microgravity, with full development cycles tracked from emergence onward. Experiments run inside Biomecell with lighting, fertigation, carbon dioxide, and climate managed and logged through BiomeOS to maintain consistency across runs.

Two design problems and the fixes
The first is irrigation in rotation. "We are working on irrigation systems that optimize resource use and ensure homogeneous distribution, which presents a major challenge in the absence of gravity. We developed irrigation systems such as aeroponics using specialized misting techniques." Water treatment and reuse are core to the approach: "Reusing nutrient solutions is essential because traditional Earth-based water treatment technologies are too resource-intensive for space environments," the team says.

The second is airflow without convection. With reduced gravity, buoyant convection stalls, so moisture and gases can build up around leaves. "Our primary challenges in airflow management include dehumidification and thermal regulation." Gas composition must also be managed: "CO₂ scrubbing and removal of ethylene and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) [are critical], as our units aim to produce different crops within the same facility," the team says. Those same controls, uniform airflow, active gas scrubbing, and leak-proof recirculation, map directly to dense, stacked vertical rooms.

Tying into life-support loops
The cultivation modules are being designed to interface with habitat Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS). "Our fully self-contained production system is designed to synergize with the base module. According to our calculations, our production modules could scrub all the CO₂ emitted by the number of crew members they're intended to feed." Crop residues are also being evaluated as substrates for mushroom cultivation to close carbon and nutrient loops.

Stress as a tool and why gravity matters to CEA
On Earth, Orius' commercial work focuses on managing environmental factors to enhance bioactive compound production. Gravity research extends that toolkit. "Inducing stress responses that boost bioactive content is particularly interesting. Studying gravity and its impact on bioactive composition or nutrient density is highly relevant for us."

"All these developments have strong potential to create innovative solutions for Earth-based CEA, building efficient recycling loops to grow crops in the most effective way while minimizing energy and resource consumption."