A cargo capsule carrying seeds from four plant species provided by Taiwan is on its way to the International Space Station (ISS) after launching from the U.S. state of Florida on Sunday (Dec. 6).
The seeds were among supplies transported by SpaceX using its newly upgraded Dragon spacecraft. They were sent as part of the "Space Seeds for Asian Future" project initiated by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency to observe how the space environment affects germination.
The NSPO said the four plant species the Taiwanese researchers had selected were Formosa lambsquarters, bell pepper, common sunflower, and Phalaenopsis equestris.