Recognition in the NASA Challenge
The Office of Technology Partnerships at the University of California announced on October 14, 2024, that Seedorina, a startup based in Riverside, took second place in NASA’s prestigious“Food for Deep Space” Challenge.
Pablo Rodrigo, a professor at the School of Communication at Universidad ORT Uruguay, is one of its co-founders. He is joined in this project by Uruguayan entrepreneurs Sebastián Franco and Nicolás Franco.
With over a decade of experience, Rodrigo teaches courses in advertising and data analytics.
He taught these courses at the School of Communication and the School of Graduate and Continuing Education.
Partnership with UC Riverside and development of the Nolux system
Through Seedorina, Rodrigo and his team were associated with researchers from UC Riverside, Professor Robert Jinkerson and Dr. Martha Orozco, to develop the innovative Nolux system.
This system addresses a key challenge for long-duration space missions by enabling the cultivation of food under limited sunlight and complying with strict contamination controls.
Nolux is based on a technique of artificial photosynthesis using acetate and was designed in just five months with a modular, stackable structure, allowing it to be adapted to different types of crops and production scales.
Its initial testing phase at NASA, under simulated Martian conditions, was a complete success.
Impact on Earth: Toward Agriculture in Extreme Climates
Seedorina's technology and the Nolux system have potential applications for agriculture in extreme environments on Earth, particularly benefiting regions with extreme climates.
Nolux enables local food production, helping communities reduce their reliance on global supply chains and promoting self-sufficiency.
This system offers a forward-looking vision of agriculture for space missions, while laying a solid foundation for sustainable agricultural development on Earth.