A batch of cowpea seeds, known as lobia in Hindi and thattapayaru in Tamil, has successfully sprouted in space. The seeds were taken into orbit by an Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) mission and sprouted within days. On Saturday, January 4, 2025, ISRO also announced the successful operation of India’s first space robotic arm.
These experiments were part of the 24 payloads on the PSLV-C60 SpaDeX mission’s PS4-Orbital Experiment Module (POEM-4), launched on December 30, 2024.
In a series of posts on X, ISRO shared, “Life sprouts in space! VSSC’s CROPS experiment onboard PSLV-C60 POEM-4 successfully sprouted cowpea seeds in 4 days. Leaves expected soon.” In another post, ISRO highlighted, “#RRM_TD, India’s first space robotic arm, is in action onboard #POEM4! A proud #MakeInIndia milestone in space robotics.”
The CROPS (Compact Research Module for Orbital Plant Studies) payload, developed by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), aims to enhance ISRO’s ability to grow plants in extraterrestrial environments. Designed as a fully automated system, the experiment plans to demonstrate seed germination and plant growth to the two-leaf stage within five to seven days in microgravity. It involves growing eight cowpea seeds in a closed-box environment with active thermal control.
