The Spring Institute for Forests on the Moon

Spreading life to the stars

Nothing is as scarce in this universe, or as beautiful, as life. We want to put the celebration of life at the center of space exploration. Through high technology, cutting-edge science, and an emphasis on equity and inclusion, we are planting the seeds today for tomorrow’s forests on the Moon.

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Our Projects

The Revive Art Project

The REVIVE Project A message from 2026, sent into orbit. In 2026, The Spring Institute will launch a handwritten letter and prairie flower seeds into space aboard Tumbleweed's Oasis Alpha satellite. The Mission REVIVE began as a scientific mission to send a living micro-vernal pool into space, studying how ecosystems…

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Project SCAMPI

The SCAMPI Project will send a self-sustaining aquarium to the ISS for 90 days to examine the effect of the space environment on a multitrophic ecosystem.

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Lunar Regolith Simulant Database

Lunar Regolith Simulant Database An Interactive Dashboard for Lunar Regolith Simulant Research We present a Lunar Regolith Database. Explore the chemical, mineralogical, and physical properties of over 150 lunar regolith simulants developed by institutions worldwide. An initiative by The Spring Institute for Forests on the Moon, sponsored by CNES Spaceship.…

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The Marshian Project

TheSpringInstitute/ Projects The Marshian Project Project Highlights Overview What the Marshian is all about Sustainable Solid Waste Treatment If sustainable, long-term settlements are to be established in space, we need a way to recycle waste in order to have a closed loop food system. In-Situ Resource Utilization The wetland can…

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TICTACS Citizen Science Project

TheSpringInstitute Terrascape Citizen Science Project JOIN OUR ECOSYSTEM EXPERIMENT Our multi-planetary future is around the corner!While we have made big leaps forward in the last few years, there’s still plenty of research and development…

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PLANT-B CubeSat Terrarium Mission

We're sending a self-sustaining terrarium in a 3U cube satellite to low earth orbit. The major innovations we are investigating are passive light and thermal management, as well as the viability of plants in the "orbital environment".

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News and Articles

What’s new?

We're sending seeds to space!

We've got something exciting to share! For the past few months, we've been tinkering away at a secret project... We're sending seeds to space! REVIVE is an art project, created with resident artist Mélodie Le Corre, sending prairie flower seeds, and a handwritten letter to the future, into orbit. It's…

Can a Puddle Go to Space?

To support humans, future space habitats will require sustainable food sources, life support systems, and waste recycling. All of these operations rely on living organisms, but it will take more than just plants and a few animal species to get the job done. Only fully functional ecosystems can truly enable…

DRAFT: Back from Analog Mission

The DRAFT Project is a soil- and regolith-based air filter tackling one of space exploration’s toughest challenges: clean air! Why an organic filter? Because the microbial life in soil is remarkably good at breaking down VOCs (volatile organic compounds) - contaminants that can accumulate in closed environments such as spacecraft or…

Le Jardin Lunaire: Art and Space Meet in Pleaux

Pleaux, France — July 20 to August 2, 2025 The Lunar Garden (Le Jardin Lunaire) is an interactive art installation in Pleaux, France. With a map in hand, participants get to wander through the village of Pleaux, uncover hidden QR codes, and explore a world where art, technology, and the wonders…

SCAMPi has begun assembly and testing phases

The student-led SCAMPi project, which will investigate how space impacts ecosystems at the genetic level, has begun its assembly and testing phases! SCAMPi is supported by the ESA Academy Experiments Programme, and for the experiment to proceed as planned, the shrimp must survive the intense journey to the International Space…

Our student-led SCAMPI team is fundraising!

In 2025 the SCAMPI team will send Hawaiian red shrimp, macroalgae, and microbes to the International Space Station (ISS) in a self-sustaining ecosphere to better understand how aquatic ecosystems behave in microgravity. Why? Because creating sustainable ecosystems in space that can support life is more than science fiction, it’s essential…

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