Life sprouts in space: Cowpea seeds sprout in Space as part of ISRO's groundbreaking CROPS experiment

Cowpea seeds sprout in Space as part of ISRO's groundbreaking CROPS experiment

ISRO announced on Saturday that the cowpea seeds it sent into space aboard the PSLV-C60 POEM-4 platform have successfully germinated under microgravity conditions, just four days after the mission's launch.

The space agency sent eight cowpea seeds as part of the Compact Research Module for Orbital Plant Studies (CROPS) experiment, conducted by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), to study plant growth in microgravity.

In a post on X, the ISRO handle wrote, "Life sprouts in space! VSSC's CROPS (Compact Research Module for Orbital Plant Studies) experiment onboard PSLV-C60 POEM-4 successfully sprouted cowpea seeds in 4 days. Leaves expected soon."
The PSLV-C60 on the night of December 30, tmission successfully deployed two SpaDeX satellites into orbit. Meanwhile, the fourth stage of the rocket, carrying the POEM-4 platform, has been orbiting Earth at an altitude of 350 km since Tuesday, hosting 24 onboard experiments.

The CROPS experiment, part of the mission, is focused on understanding how plants grow in space's unique microgravity conditions, a key area of research for future long-duration space missions.

The CROPS experiment involves growing eight cowpea seeds in a controlled environment with active thermal regulation, simulating the conditions plants might face during extended space missions.

This experiment is part of a broader, multi-phase platform aimed at enhancing ISRO's ability to grow and sustain plant life in extraterrestrial environments, supporting future space exploration.

The experiment, designed as a fully automated system, will last for five to seven days, aiming to demonstrate seed germination and sustain plant growth until the two-leaf stage in a microgravity environment. The cowpea seeds are contained in a closed-box setup with active thermal control to ensure optimal growth conditions.

Passive measurements, including camera imaging, oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations, relative humidity, temperature, and soil moisture monitoring, are available for plant growth and monitoring, the space agency said.

ISRO also released a "selfie video" of the chaser satellite involved in the space docking experiment, which is currently orbiting Earth at an altitude of 470 km.

The satellite is expected to dock with the target satellite on Tuesday, a groundbreaking achievement that would position India as the fourth country, following Russia, the US, and China, to successfully master this cutting-edge technology.