Artemis mission astronauts will plant plants on the moon in 2026

The Artemis 3 mission, scheduled for 2026, will see astronauts land on the moon for the first time in half a century and set up a mini-greenhouse there.

Here's What We Know

NASA has selected three scientific experiments to be conducted on the lunar surface. One of them is LEAF ("Lunar Effects on Agricultural Flora"), which will study how space crops cope in the exotic lunar environment.

"LEAF will be the first experiment to observe plant photosynthesis, growth, and systemic stress responses under conditions of cosmic radiation and partial gravity," NASA said in a statement.

The data on plant growth and development, as well as environmental parameters measured by LEAF, will help scientists understand the use of lunar-grown plants for human nutrition and sustaining life on the Moon and beyond. This will not be the first experience of growing plants in space - China's Chang'e 4 mission germinated cotton seeds on the Moon in 2019.

Source: Space