Chinese astronauts aboard the Tiangong space station have harvested the first batch of rice grown in orbit, marking another step toward producing food for future space missions.
The rice was grown during the Shenzhou-23 mission, and astronauts collected the samples after more than 2 months for further scientific research.
Scientists are testing whether rice can be grown over multiple generations in microgravity to reduce dependence on food supplies from Earth.
The experiment compares ordinary rice seeds with seeds descended from rice previously grown aboard Tiangong in 2022.
The research could help future astronauts grow food on the Moon, Mars, and other deep-space missions.
Author: Saikat Bhattacharya
