Cowpea Seeds Sprout in Space -Achievements of POEM-4 Mission

Cowpea Seeds Sprout in Space – Achievements of POEM-4 Mission

Discover the breakthrough of cowpea seeds sprouting in space, marking a significant step in sustainable food production for future space missions and extraterrestrial agriculture.

Context: ISRO’s PSLV-C60 POEM-4 mission achieved a milestone by germinating cowpea seeds in space and operating India’s first space robotic arm. A batch of cowpea seeds which were taken into orbit by an Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) mission and which recently sprouted has unveiled their first leaves.

About Cowpea Seed Germination

CROPS Payload (Compact Research Module for Plant Studies)

Developed by Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC).
Designed to study plant growth in microgravity as part of extraterrestrial agricultural research.
Fully automated system to germinate seeds and sustain them until the two-leaf stage.

8 cowpea seeds were placed in a closed-box environment with active thermal regulation.
Cowpea is a leguminous crop having long trailing vines. It is locally called Lobia.
Seeds germinated within 4 days & 3 seedlings have sprouted leaves.
This marks a significant achievement in space agriculture, paving the way for future extraterrestrial cultivation.

India’s First Space Robotic Arm – RRM-TD (Relocatable Robotic Manipulator)

It is a 7 Degree of Freedom (DoF) robotic arm.
DoF robotic arm is an innovative technology demonstrator with the capability to perform inch-worm walking to relocate itself to defined targets on the PS4-Orbital Experiment Module (POEM)-4 platform.

PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM)

POEM is a space platform that allows the scientific community to perform experiments in microgravity conditions in orbit.
It uses the spent fourth stage of the Polar Synchronous Launch Vehicle (PSLV) as an orbital platform.
Important Experiments conducted on POEM in past: Electric propulsion systems, devices for releasing satellites, and technology for tracking stars