Space nutrition for long-duration missions: innovations and emerging Indian astronauts’ corps perspectives

Purpose Space exploration poses severe health risks to astronauts, particularly on long-duration missions, where nutrition is critical in offsetting the negative effects of microgravity, radiation and solitude. Physiological problems, such as bone loss, muscular atrophy and gut microbiome changes, highlight the need for refined feeding systems that protect astronauts’ health. While progress has been made in building space food systems, such as freeze-dried meals and lab-grown meat, research gaps still exist, notably in terms of sustainability and cultural diversity, such as the inclusion of Indian space cuisines. The purpose of this study is to analyze the evolution of space food systems, emphasizing advances in food preservation, individualized nutrition and in situ production technologies such as bioregenerative life support systems. Design/methodology/approach Through a comprehensive search across major bibliometric information sources such as Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed and Google Scholar, a database of 128 papers was obtained using keywords such as space nutrition. The 21 publications met the review criteria. Findings The findings highlight the importance of highly nutritious, long-lasting foods in combating physiological stressors and improving psychological well-being through culturally appropriate and acceptable diets for Indian astronauts’ corps. To meet the specific constraints of deep-space missions, future initiatives must prioritize the integration of sustainable, closed-loop applications food systems, bio-fortified crops and genetically customized nutrition. As mankind advances toward planetary exploration, multidisciplinary collaboration is critical to ensuring astronaut health, performance and a successful mission. There are several studies made on this context to closely monitor and address their health issues. Astronauts on board usually face issues related to their gut health, bone loss, and calcium loss. Other health complications that astronauts face during spaceflight are innumerable. Originality/value This paper discussed the various physiological challenges faced by astronauts, evolution of space foods over the years and the future perspectives of space foods extensively.