Astronauts to grow plants in lunar greenhouse as part of Artemis 3 mission

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It will be half a century before humans return to the Moon in 2026. The Artemis 3 mission will take 4 astronauts to the Earth’s satellite, two of whom will go to the lunar surface to carry out some experiments.

They will be carrying a miniature greenhouse that the astronauts will set up there. The purpose of this agricultural experiment is to see how the plants brought there will behave, NASA said in a statement. The purpose of the lunar plant experiment is to find out how colonists will be able to provide food for future trips to the Moon.

According to Space.com, this won’t be the first time plants have been flown from Earth to the Moon. In 2019, China’s Chang’e-4 mission took cotton seeds to the moon, where they even germinated in a greenhouse. This was the first biological experiment of its kind.

Before astronauts can test the greenhouse on the moon in 2026, some preparations need to be made. SpaceX‘s Starship will take astronauts into lunar orbit. Given that no spacecraft has ever returned safely to Earth, the mission is likely to face some challenges.