Federal Government approves RMIT technology for journey to the Moon

A small module comprising an air-filled chamber and devices to transmit data on the environmental conditions inside has been designed and tested at RMIT University as part of a mission led by Lunaria One and supported by the Australian Space Agency to eventually grow plants on the Moon.

The Australian Lunar Experiment Promoting Horticulture project, or ‘ALEPH’, still has several steps to clear before its first payload, ALEPH-1, is launched into space.

Importantly though, the ALEPH-1 payload developed at RMIT has now received authorisation from the Australian Government to make its journey to the Moon, all else going well, aboard space company Intuitive Machines' third lunar mission currently scheduled for launch in late 2026.

The recently granted overseas payload permit is the first authorisation by the Australian Government for a lunar payload under the Space (Launches and Returns) Act 2018.

Dr Graham Dorrington, Principal Investigator for the project team in RMIT’s centre for Moon to Mars Initiative Science and Technology (M2MIST), said the main purpose of the mission is to demonstrate Australian technological capability by operating ALEPH-1 in space and on the lunar surface.

“The primary mission objective is to determine whether or not the necessary environmental conditions to permit biological metabolism can be maintained throughout,” he explained.

“However, we are not germinating plants within ALEPH-1, on this first mission. Instead, we are carrying seeds and samples of lichen, since these are well suited to survive relatively severe conditions.

“The long-term aspiration is to realise sustainable off-world biological microcosms.”

M2MIST team from left to right: Quentin Michalski, Graham Dorrington, Glenn Matthews, Samuel Ippolito, Grant Bradbeer, Chris Harrison. Photo credit: Ant Bragaglia, RMIT University, 2026.

The Australian-led mission has the potential to shape significant scientific understanding and discovery about how plants could survive in the conditions of space.

It is led by Australian start-up Lunaria One and supported by research institutions, non-profits and industry partners, with funding through the Australian Space Agency's Moon to Mars Initiative (Demonstrator Mission program).

ALEPH-1 is Lunaria One’s first payload and has a mass of just 500 grams.

It is designed to transmit data on the environmental conditions inside a small air-filled chamber for a period of 72 hours on the lunar surface.

The payload system, comprising two separate modules, was designed and integrated at RMIT.

The mission's insights aim to drive advancements for both space and Earth-based applications.

With regulatory approval in place, the ALEPH-1 payload is now progressing through final qualification testing, led by RMIT as the primary technical partner for Lunaria One.

Dr. Quentin Michalski, who led the qualification testing, explained the flight model was tested rigorously to ensure it was safe to be part of a complex and expensive space flight.

“The flight model of ALEPH-1 has passed all our own demanding acceptance tests,” he said. “It was a lot more work for our team than was originally anticipated.”

Dr Glenn Matthews, who is responsible for the ALEPH-1 electronics architecture, said that it had been a “formidable challenge” to develop RMIT's first lunar payload.

“But it also provides a wonderful opportunity to inspire the next generation of engineers and scientists,” he said.

Next, the ALEPH-1 payload will be shipped to the spacecraft provider Intuitive Machines in Houston, Texas later this year, and – provided it passes the flight readiness review – it will fly on Intuitive Machines’ mission to Reiner Gamma in the Sea of Storms, near the equator on the lunar surface.

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Federal Government approves RMIT technology for journey to the Moon