Amid the 2026 Spring Festival celebrations in China, the crew of the Shenzhou-21 mission aboard the Tiangong space station received a harvest of tomatoes grown in orbit.
A video from the China Media Group (CMG) on Wednesday, February 18, showcased the “space vegetable garden," highlighting the potential for sustained plant life the atmosphere on Earth, Xinhua news agency reported.
In the clip, astronaut Zhang Hongzhang gave a tour of what he described as the “healing corner" of the Tiangong. It features the tomato plants growing in the orbit.
A research team at the China Astronaut Research and Training Center has developed a special device, called an aeroponic cultivation system, that nutures these plants. Under this, water is vaporised into a fine mist. Zhang shared that this can significantly improve the efficiency of water usage.
This aeroponic device arrived at the space station in July last year. It wa delivered by the Tianzhou-9 cargo spacecraft. As per CMG, the primary mission is to analyse various technologies to carry out cultivation of plants in a microgravity environment effectively and efficiently.
The system utilised a “specially designed LED light spectrum" that further enhances energy efficiency. “The result is this thriving scene of space-grown tomatoes we have before us," Xinhua quoted Zhang as saying.
Results will help upcoming long-duration space missions where bioregenerative life support systems can prove to be essential.
“Look at these tomatoes. They are so enticing, with a faint, fresh scent. Every time I pass by this area, I want to take a deep breath and enjoy the fragrance," Xinhua quoted astronaut Wu Fei as saying.
The astronaut added that they look after the tomatoes on a daily basis and record their growth data. “This precious data on plant growth in orbit will serve as an excellent reference for cultivating crops in space in the future," Wu added.
The latest research onboard the Tiangong space station goes beyond mere observation.
Source: World News in news18.com, World Latest News, World News
