China’s Reusable Satellite Returns to Earth After Experimenting With Crop Mutations in Space

A Chinese satellite has returned to Earth after spending two weeks in orbit conducting experiments on plant mutation, as the country looks to space to enhance its agricultural crops.

Shijian-19, China’s first reusable satellite, touched down at the Dongfeng landing site near Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert at 10:39 p.m. ET on Thursday (10:39 a.m. Beijing Time on Friday), according to China National Space Administration (CNSA). The satellite carried returnable payloads, including seeds from various locations, to test plant and microorganism breeding in space. All of the payloads were retrieved once the spacecraft landed.

“This mission carried out space breeding, new technology verification and space science experiments, and focused on promoting the development and application of new space technologies,” CNSA wrote in a statement. “At the same time, it carried a number of international cooperation payloads and became a good platform to promote international space cooperation, which is of great significance to promoting space exploration and space utilization.”

China launched Shijian-19 on board a March 2D rocket on September 27 to test reusable spacecraft technology, as well as the effect of the radiation in space on crops. Constraints in water and land supply have forced China to look elsewhere in pursuit of food security, and space may just be the answer. Exposing seeds to the environment in low Earth orbit could help accelerate the genetic mutation of plants, which would make the crops more resilient and increase their productivity.

The idea of growing things in space is becoming increasingly popular as the industry provides better access to orbit. Earlier this year, U.S. startup Varda Space retrieved its capsule, which had spent eight months in orbit growing crystals of the drug ritonavir, which is used for the treatment of HIV, to test how it would crystalize in microgravity. Varda’s capsule was housed inside a Rocket Lab spacecraft in orbit, which dropped off the drug-filled capsule on Earth.

China’s Shijian-19 satellite, on the other hand, is itself designed to be retrievable and reusable, meaning it could launch again for another mission in space. For its recent mission, CNSA used a short-term version designed to spend two weeks in orbit, but the space agency is developing a reusable satellite with a long-term configuration that can stay longer in orbit. The long-term design would involve solar arrays on its propulsion and power modules, and capable of carrying between 1,110 to 1,320 pounds (500 to 600 kilograms), according to SpaceNews.

The Chinese satellite is part of the nation’s growing space ambition, whereby it’s planning on building a habitat on the Moon and gear itself towards deep space missions, as well as increasing its presence in low Earth orbit.