In A First, Life Sprouts On ISRO's Space Lab

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."