Desert Moss Revives in Space: Plant Space Life Restart Experiment on Qingzhou Cargo Spacecraft Test Vehicle Succeeds
2026-07-06
A joint research team from three Chinese Academy of Sciences institutes—Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Innovation Academy for Microsatellites, and Institute of Mechanics, carried out a landmark in-orbit plant revival experiment on the Qingzhou cargo spacecraft test vehicle. The mission marks the first reported case of a fully intact terrestrial plant being transported to low-Earth orbit and successfully revived.
As deep-space exploration advances, the challenge of early-stage extraterrestrial microenvironment modification and in-situ soil conditioning has become increasingly pressing. To address this, the research team selected Syntrichia caninervis, a highly stress-resistant desert moss, for the test.
Ground experiments have proven the species’ extraordinary endurance: it survives full dehydration, one-year cryopreservation at -196°C, 5,000 Gy gamma radiation, and simulated Martian conditions featuring low atmospheric pressure, 95% CO₂, drastic temperature swings and strong ultraviolet radiation. Its intrinsic ability to enter a dormant, low-metabolic state makes it an ideal candidate for constructing foundational extraterrestrial micro-ecosystems.
To test this resilience in actual space conditions, the three institutes jointly developed an integrated closed-loop microecological cultivation capsule for the moss. Under the spacecraft’s microgravity and intense radiation, a precise irrigation system supplied trace liquid water to dry moss samples. The moss rehydrated, turned bright yellow-green and recovered vigorous growth.
The successful in-orbit test proves that extremotolerant organisms can indeed “restart” life cycles under the synergistic stresses of microgravity, radiation, and extreme desiccation.
This breakthrough supports low-energy ecological engineering and in-situ resource use for future off-Earth outposts, and offers new ideas for bioregenerative life support systems for long-term human spaceflight.
Report from CCTV-13 News Broadcast covering the Qingzhou cargo spacecraft test vehicle mission
Contact
Ms. Huang
Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography
E-mail: zlhuang@ms.xjb.ac.cn