Abu Dhabi-based startup StarLab Oasis, a spin-off from Texan company Nanoracks, wants to grow seeds in outer space in order to develop plant varieties that can survive on a less hospitable Earth.
In 2023, StarLab Oasis expects to send its first seeds into orbit.
From soybeans to quinoa, seeds grow differently in space than on land.
Sending seeds to space will help “sustainability, climate change, and food security on Earth,” StarLab Oasis’ co-founder Allen Herbert tells CNN Business.
It plans to work with companies, space agencies, universities and non-profits, to send seeds to space either for research or commercial purposes.