New Delhi:
In a first for India, life has sprouted on a craft sent into space by the country.
Cowpea seeds sent on the PS4-Orbital Experiment Module (POEM), or the Bharatiya Space Lab, have germinated in the near zero-gravity and enclosed surroundings of space – and leaves are also expected to grow soon.
This experiment was part of the SpaDeX or space docking experiment launched on December 30, 2024, using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
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.”
ISRO Chairman Dr S Somanath told NDTV that the successful experiment could play a key role in the human space mission (Gaganyaan) and the plan to build an Indian space station (Bharatiya Antariksha Station).
“It is very exciting to see life sprouting on the Bharatiya Space Lab. This cowpea germination test is the maiden attempt to try and understand, through our own experiments, how life works in space. It also gives confidence in the environment control and life support system (ECLSS) deployed on board the Indian orbital module,” Dr Somanath said.
“This one small step for POEM may help write a whole new novel on life support for Gaganyaan and the Bharatiya Antariksha Station… a big learning for India from a small experiment, since no one shares these seemingly simple but challenging bits of complex life-support technologies,” he added.
Objective
For the in-house team of ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram, the objective was to demonstrate how cowpea seeds germinate in the near-zero-gravity environment of space. What made the experiment challenging was the fact that seedlings lose orientation when grown in microgravity conditions.
“Studying plant growth in space is new to ISRO and the 15-member team is very excited to see the results,” said T Latha, VSSC Deputy Director, who is heading the experiment. She says cowpea (Vigna unguiculata, known as ‘lobia’ in Hindi) was chosen as its seeds can germinate and grow leaves in less than a week.
The POEM module is also carrying two other live biology experiments that will attempt to grow gut bacteria and spinach cells.
