The scientific payloads for space breeding and other sci-tech experiments carried by China's first reusable and returnable satellite, Shijian-19, were delivered to Chinese and foreign researchers on Thursday.
At the payloads handover ceremony held by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) in Beijing on Thursday, the CNSA and the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation signed payload delivery certificates with domestic and international users, including those from Thailand and Pakistan.
Launched on Sept 27 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, Shijian-19 has achieved a number of technological breakthroughs during its flight tests, including in reusability and damage-free recovery.
The satellite was retrieved on Oct 11 together with all payloads aboard, coming from five countries, including Thailand, Türkiye and Pakistan, highlighting China's commitment to international cooperation in space exploration.
A total of 20 categories of payloads, including those for staple crops, industrial crops, microbial space breeding, electron components and space technology experiments, were delivered to the relevant countries.
The primary advantage of carrying crop seeds to space is that cosmic rays, normally blocked by the earth's atmosphere, can alter the seeds' genetic code, accelerating the evolutionary process.
"After being carried into space, the seeds exhibit various mutations. We select only those with improved traits, obtaining new seed resources that can be crossed with our existing varieties. This approach enhances the superior characteristics that our current varieties may lack, enabling us to accumulate these advantages and ultimately improve the overall quality of the crops," Liu Luxiang, executive director general of the Institute of Crop Sciences under the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
The Shijian-19 mission carried seeds of about 1,800 plant materials and more than 1,000 species of microorganisms, encompassing nearly all major kinds of agricultural products.
"The payloads it carries are highly diverse, playing a crucial role in cultivating new seed varieties, supporting the innovation of genetic resources, advancing biomedicine and space science, and promoting international scientific cooperation in space," said Meng Lingjie, director of the Earth Observation System and Data Center under CNSA.
Scientific payloads of China's first reusable, returnable satellite delivered to researchers
