Bioregenerative life support systems (BLSS) represent a critical technological pathway toward sustaining long-duration human space exploration by enabling the closure of material loops for air, water, food, and waste. This mini-review synthesizes current knowledge on the role of cultivated plants within BLSS architectures, emphasizing their multifunctional contribution as primary producers of edible biomass, oxygen generators, and agents of water purification. Key candidate species—including staple crops such as wheat, rice, potato, and soybean, as well as fast-growing plants like Wolffia globosa and microalgae—are evaluated in terms of productivity, nutritional value, and adaptability to space conditions. The review further examines nutrient recycling strategies, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus recovery from waste streams, and highlights the operational principles of major BLSS programs such as NASA’s CELSS and ESA’s MELiSSA. Special attention is given to the challenges of species selection under extraterrestrial constraints, including microgravity, radiation, and limited resources, as well as to emerging solutions involving extremotolerant microorganisms and in situ resource utilization (ISRU). Despite significant advances, current BLSS designs remain limited by incomplete nutrient closure and insufficient dietary completeness. Future progress will depend on the integration of biological and physicochemical subsystems, the optimization of crop systems for both yield and nutrition, and the validation of fully closed-loop systems at operational scale.
