Assessing black soldier fly pupation and survival in lunar regolith simulant: Implications for sustainable controlled habitats on the Moon

Abstract

Bioregenerative life-support systems (BLSSs) will be crucial for extended space missions and extraterrestrial habitats. The black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens, is recognized for its efficient organic waste consumption, making it well-suited for closed environments like spacecraft. Our study assessed H. illucens adaptability to different substrates, including a lunar regolith simulant, pertinent to future lunar colonization. Remarkably resilient, H. illucens prepupal larvae successfully pupated in all tested substrates, but pupation timing varied, with no-substrate larvae pupating later. Pupal stage duration also differed, particularly with lunar regolith simulant and sand treatments resulting in longer durations. Substrate treatments significantly influenced the number of emerged adults, with lunar regolith simulant yielding more adults than the no-substrate treatment. Additionally, sand and wood shavings treatments produced more adults, highlighting H. illucens adaptability to various substrates, including lunar regolith. These findings are crucial for future BLSSs design. Additionally, H. illucens adaptability to lunar regolith provides insights into life's adaptability in space environments, guiding future experiments on celestial bodies. This study provides critical data on how different substrates, including lunar regolith simulants, influence H. illucens development and survival, advancing BLSSs and ecological science in both space and terrestrial contexts.