Cowpea seeds turn into plants in space ISRO big success

Indian Space Agency ISRO has created another history in space. ISRO had germinated cowpea seeds in space, from which leaves have now emerged. ISRO has informed that the first leaves have emerged after germination in the cowpea seeds sent into space on ‘PSLV-C60 POEM-4 platform’. ISRO has said that this is a milestone in space-based plant research. ISRO has said that one of its recent experiments involved growing cowpea seeds in a closed environment.

According to ISRO, Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC) has developed the ‘Compact Research Module for Orbital Plant Studies’ (CROPS). It is an automated platform designed to grow and maintain plant life in the microgravity environment of space.

ISRO said the system monitored various parameters including oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, relative humidity, temperature and soil moisture, and also took photographs to monitor plant growth.

According to the space agency, the system successfully supported the germination and growth of cowpea to the two-leaf stage in space. ISRO posted on social media platform ‘X’ that this achievement not only demonstrates ISRO’s ability to grow plants in space, but also provides valuable information for future long-term missions.

ISRO said understanding how plants adapt to microgravity is important to develop life support systems that can produce food and create air and water for astronauts. The space agency said that the success of the CROPS experiment is a promising step towards permanent human presence in space.