Redwire, an American aerospace company, is working on a greenhouse capable of growing plants from seed to maturity in space, which is “critical” for future space exploration.
The launch of the greenhouse is planned for next spring. This will be the first ever commercial plant growing platform on the International Space Station. Redwire expects agricultural technology company Dewey Scientific to be its first customer to grow crops in a space greenhouse. During the 60-day experiment, the company will grow industrial hemp and conduct gene expression studies to advance biomedical and biofuel research.
The experiment should provide key information for future space exploration missions, including NASA’s Artemis, which aims to send astronauts to the far side of the moon and establish a lunar colony as a precursor to sending people to Mars.
Further in development are larger greenhouses that can be adapted to other crops, according to Redwire. The company also expects the project to contribute to further scientific research that can help improve crop yields on Earth.
