In a milestone for ISRO, the cowpea seedlings it sent to space as part of a biological experiment on December 30 have sprouted their first leaves, the space agency said Monday.
The experiment, ISRO’s first biological experiment in space, was part of CROPS (Compact Research Module for Orbital Plant Studies), an automated platform designed to cultivate and sustain plant life in microgravity environment of space.
Developed by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, it involves growing eight cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) seeds within a controlled environment equipped with active thermal management onboard ISRO’s POEM-4 module.
Of the eight seedlings, at least three sprouted leaves. “This accomplishment not only demonstrates ISRO’s capability to grow plants in space, but also provides valuable insights for future long-duration missions,” ISRO said on X.
“The success of the CROPS experiment marks a promising step towards sustainable human presence in space,” ISRO said.
The cowpea experiment wasn’t the only one carried on board POEM during the recent launch.
Experiments to study plant cells in microgravity, by Amity University, and the growth curve of gut bacteria in space, by Bengaluru’s R V College of Engineering, were also carried out.
