Moscow (AFP)

The prospect of cosmonauts savoring a roast in space has become a little less theoretical after the creation of meat aboard the International Space Station (ISS) using a 3D printer.

The printer used to artificially produce beef, rabbit and fish tissues using magnetic fields in microgravity, said Wednesday a Russian medical technology company involved in the experiment.

The tests were conducted in September by cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka in the Russian segment of the ISS.

The 3D printer used is of Russian manufacture, while the biological cells were supplied by American and Israeli companies.

According to the leaders of the project, this is the first time that a small amount of artificial meat is created under weightless conditions.

"It's a big bite for the man, but a big mouthful for humanity," Ioussef Khessouani of the 3D Bioprinting Solutions laboratory said at a press conference, diverting Neil Armstrong's famous phrase on the moon .

"This is our first experience of international scientific collaboration in space," he added.

This laboratory was founded by Invitro, a Russian pharmaceutical company. The project was partly funded by the Russian space agency Roskosmos.

"This is truly a breakthrough for both Roskosmos and Russia as a whole," said Nikolai Bourdeyny, a senior space official.

The occupants of the ISS consume meat on board but it was first vacuum packed or dried on Earth. This new technology could eventually be used for deep space travel, according to Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko.

"If we fly to other planets in the solar system, we can not take a lot of food with us," he told AFP. "In any case, it will be necessary to cultivate and produce food on board the vessel".

However, creating larger quantities of meat on the ISS will require more complex equipment than the current printer, Khessouani said.

Other space agencies are also conducting experiments on the artificial production of fabrics because their manufacture is easier in space than under gravity conditions.

An American 3D printer was transported to the International Space Station in July to produce human tissue. It is also used by the European Space Agency.

© 2019 AFP