SCIENCE

Successful Germination of Cowpea Seeds in Space
▪ The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has achieved a significant breakthrough in space research with the successful germination of cowpea seeds in space.
▪ The seeds, part of the Compact Research Module for Orbital Plant Studies (CROPS) experiment, sprouted within just four days of being sent into space aboard the PSLV-C60 mission.
▪ On December 30, the PSLV-C60 rocket launched, placing two SpaDeX satellites into orbit, and carrying the POEM-4 platform with 24 onboard experiments.
▪ Among them was the CROPS experiment, designed by ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), to investigate plant growth in the unique environment of microgravity.
ISRO
▪ ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) was established on August 15, 1969.
▪ Its headquarters is located in Bengaluru
▪ It was formed by superseding the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR), which had been established in 1962. Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, who is considered the father of India’s space program, was ISRO’s first chairman.