ISRO: Cowpea sprouts unveil first leaves in house; shares photographs

The widespread legumes have been taken into house on December 30, 2024 and are a part of a platform to develop and maintain flora in further terrestrial environments. | Photograph Credit score: X/@isro

A batch of cowpea seeds which have been taken into orbit by an Indian Area Analysis Organisation (ISRO) mission and which not too long ago sprouted has unveiled their first leaves.

“Leaves have emerged! VSSC’s CROPS (Compact Analysis Module for Orbital Plant Research) aboard PSLV-C60 POEM-4 achieves a milestone as cowpea sprouts unveil their first leaves in house,” ISRO mentioned in a publish on Monday.

It may be recalled that the cowpea seeds had a few days in the past efficiently sprouted in house.

The CROPS payload, developed by the Vikram Sarabhai Area Centre (VSSC), is envisioned as a multi-phase platform to develop and evolve ISRO’s capabilities for rising and sustaining flora in further terrestrial environments.

Designed as a totally automated system, a 5 to seven-day experiment is deliberate to reveal seed germination and plant sustenance till the two-leaf stage in a microgravity surroundings,” ISRO had mentioned previous to the launch.

The experiment plans to develop eight cowpea seeds in a closed-box surroundings with energetic thermal management.

The CROPS payload was a part of the 24 payloads flown on the PSLV-C60 SpaDeX mission’s PS4-Orbital Experiment Module (POEM-4) on December 30, 2024.