The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) announced a remarkable achievement in space agriculture on January 4, 2025: cowpea seeds successfully sprouted in just four days under microgravity conditions. The experiment was conducted using the Compact Research Module for Orbital Plant Studies (CROPS), a pioneering initiative aimed at developing sustainable agricultural solutions for long-duration space missions.
Developed by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), the CROPS experiment focused on cultivating eight cowpea seeds in a controlled environment designed to replicate the conditions plants might encounter during extended space travel. The seeds were housed in a specially designed closed-box system equipped with advanced monitoring tools, including high-definition cameras and sensors for temperature, humidity, and soil moisture.
ISRO also shared a time-lapse video today showcasing the seeds’ transformation from dormancy to sprouting. The footage provided a captivating look at the challenges plants face in microgravity and their unique adaptations to grow under such conditions. This milestone offers valuable insights into plant biology and development beyond Earth.
Watch the timelapse of leaves emerging in space! 🌱 VSSC's CROPS (Compact Research Module for Orbital Plant Studies) experiment aboard PSLV-C60 captures the fascinating growth of cowpea in microgravity. 🚀 #BiologyInSpace #POEM4 #ISRO pic.twitter.com/uRUUnVGO2v
— ISRO (@isro) January 7, 2025
The successful germination of cowpeas marks a significant step toward creating self-sufficient food sources for astronauts on future missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. This achievement is part of ISRO's multi-phase approach to advancing extraterrestrial agriculture. Researchers aim to further investigate how plants adapt to microgravity, contributing to the development of sustainable life-support systems for deep-space exploration.
