ISRO CROPS stands for Compact Research Module for Orbital Plant Studies.
It is an automated platform designed to cultivate and sustain plant life in the microgravity environment of space.
The primary objective of the CROPS experiment is to study the growth and development of plants in space, which is crucial for long-duration space missions and the potential establishment of space colonies.
The CROPS experiment was successfully launched on December 30, 2024, aboard ISRO’s PSLV-C60 mission.
It carries eight cowpea seeds housed in the POEM-4 platform, which repurposes the PSLV rocket’s fourth stage for scientific research.
Within four days of launch, the cowpea seeds sprouted their first leaves, demonstrating the potential for plant growth in space.
This successful germination marks a significant milestone for ISRO’s space biology research and India’s ambitions in space exploration.
