Gardeners of the Galaxy Mission Report: 17 June 2025

My Top 10 Stories from the world of space plants and gardening. This week we've got upcoming astrobotany events, Raman spectroscopy, cool art and more!

Jun 17, 2025

1: Astrobotany webinar TODAY!

Later today, Simon Gilroy, Veronica De Micco, and Jenny Mortimer will be joining a webinar on the Role of Plant Scientists in Space Agriculture from the American Society of Plant Biologists.

“This webinar explores the pivotal role plant scientists play in developing sustainable space agriculture systems. From understanding plant growth in microgravity to engineering crops that can thrive in controlled, closed-loop environments, plant science is at the frontier of ensuring food security for astronauts and possibly future space settlers. Join us as we delve into cutting-edge research, challenges of extraterrestrial farming, and the innovative technologies that are reshaping how and where we grow our food.”

Join online at 2:00 PM PDT | 5:00 PM EDT | 10:00 PM BST | 5:00 AM Beijing.

Register now: Plantae Presents – Role of Plant Scientists in Space Agriculture: Gardening the Galaxy

2: Axiom-4 delayed

Culture bags for Space Microalgae-ISRO. Image credit: Redwire

The commercial Axiom-4 mission (with its multiple astrobotany experiments) has been delayed because the Zvezda module on the International Space Station. 19 June has been suggested as the new launch date.

Meanwhile, Redwire Corporation has confirmed its role in a biotechnology experiment that will launch on AX-4, developed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), and the National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR) in New Delhi.

The Space Microalgae investigation will analyse the impact of microgravity on the growth, metabolism, and genetic activity of three strains of edible microalgae, which researchers are assessing as a potential sustainable food source for long-duration space missions. Redwire will manage mission integration, scientific fulfilment, and on orbit operations.

3: Monitoring plant health in space

A new study suggests that Raman spectroscopy (RS) could play a vital role in monitoring the health of crops grown beyond Earth. Spectral analysis of Arabidopsis grown on the International Space Station and in three lunar regolith simulants on Earth revealed that space-grown plants had elevated phenylpropanoid levels and lower carotenoid content compared to ground controls.

The researchers then applied antioxidant treatments – glutathione, proline, ascorbic acid, and a combination of all three – to mitigate spaceflight-induced stress responses. Spectral data showed that the full cocktail was most effective, restoring carotenoid and cellulose levels to values approaching those of Earth-grown controls.

Raman spectroscopy is well-suited for deployment in space. It can be conducted with handheld tools, generates no chemical waste, requires no reagents, and provides rapid, label-free measurements.

4: Cool astrobotanical art

Indonesian artist Agus Putu Suyadnya has produced a series of paintings in which an astronaut interacts with tropical ecosystems.

The Symbiotic Utopia series portends “an eerie future irredeemably impacted by the climate crisis. The astronaut, after all, is fully covered in a protective capsule, a sign that people can only survive with this critical adaptation.”

If you’re in New York, then Symbiotic Utopia is on view at Sapar Contemporary until 7 July. If not, you’ll have to make do with online images.

See more: An Astronaut Finds Symbiosis with Nature in Agus Putu Suyadnya’s Uncanny Paintings and Agus Putu Suyadnya on Instagram.

5: Announcing the Space Ecology Workshop 2025

This year’s Space Ecology (free, virtual) Workshop will take place 8 & 9 August, from 0800 – 1600 PST (1600 – midnight BST).

The organisers are accepting presentation proposals on the following topics:

Session I. Biotic Ecosystem Components
Session II. Primary Production (Crops, etc.)
Session III. Organic Waste Management and Nutrient Cycling
Session IV. Air Management
Session V. Water Management
Session VI. Session VI. Consumers (Human Ecophysiology and Accommodations, Heterotrophs)
Session VII. Space Systems Ecology
Session VIII. Space Ecosystem Technology and Test Facilities
Session IX. Space Ecology Policy and Programs

Visit the website to register and/or submit a presentation proposal.

6: Space farming in… Sweden?

In Sweden, Abhijith Nag Balasubramanya has launched Hydro Space Sweden AB, a hydroponic farming company with a goal of conducting research in space agriculture. In a 200-square-metre warehouse in Hedensbyn, he plans to grow 10,000 heads of lettuce per month. A future project also involves attempting to cultivate cloudberries, even though this has reportedly never been successfully done before.

Inspired by a team from Brazil, plans to build a 3D printer that can use materials from, for example, the Moon and Mars to manufacture hydroponic units on site. He has been in contact with the European Space Agency, ESA, which has been very encouraging.

7: Space-flown lotus seeds in Vietnam

Amanda Nguyễn, the first Vietnamese American and Southeast Asian woman to fly into space, was the commencement speaker at Fulbright University Việt Nam’s for the Class of 2025.

During her speech, she referred to the lotus seeds she carried into space on her Blue Origin flight. “One of my plant pathology experiments was conducted in partnership with the Vietnam National Space Centre and American plant pathologists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison,” she said.

Apparently, she also gifted some of the space-flown lotus seeds to new Fulbright graduates.

8: From the GreenHab at MDRU

Marina Martinez from Goethe University spent two weeks as an analog astronaut at the Mars Research Desert Station in Utah. During her mission there, she was responsible for the ‘GreenHab’ greenhouse and tested using menstrual blood as a fertiliser.

See more: Goethe@Mars

9: An Aeroframe in LEO?

Freya Cultivation Systems’ Aeroframe cultivation platform uses a triangular A-frame structure and an ultrasonic irrigation system. The company says that an unnamed space agency is currently evaluating their technology for agriculture in Low Earth Orbit.

10: Peek inside China’s analog Mars base

Last month, Sky News had the opportunity to take a tour inside China's Mars simulation space base in the Gobi Desert.

Don’t forget that I regularly post fresh content to my Space Botany website. This week you can read about how diatoms might be the key to making lunar regolith fertile.

I'll be back in your inboxes next week. Thanks for reading and being part of the Gardeners of the Galaxy community.

Ex solo ad astra,

Emma (Space Gardener)

Gardeners of the Galaxy Mission Report