Cowpea Seedlings Achieve Milestone in Space Agriculture

Cowpea seedlings have successfully sprouted their first leaves in space aboard the PSLV-C60 POEM-4 module, marking a significant milestone in space-based plant research. The achievement demonstrates ISRO's ability to grow plants in microgravity, providing insights for future long-duration missions and sustainable life support systems.

Seedlings of the cowpea plant have sprouted their first leaves onboard the PSLV-C60 POEM-4 module, signifying a key milestone in the realm of space-based plant research, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced on Monday.

The Compact Research Module for Orbital Plant Studies (CROPS), designed by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), serves as an automated platform intended to nurture and sustain plant life within the microgravity environments of space. In a groundbreaking experiment, cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) seeds were grown in a controlled, closed environment with active thermal management, overseen by ISRO.

The setup diligently monitored several parameters, such as oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, relative humidity, temperature, and soil moisture, while capturing vital images tracking plant growth. The system successfully supported the plants' progress to the two-leaf stage in space. ISRO emphasized that this accomplishment not only highlights the agency's capability to cultivate plants in space but also offers valuable insights for long-duration missions, instrumental in developing life-support systems for sustaining human life in extraterrestrial arenas.

(With inputs from agencies.)