Sun Aug 03 06:13:37 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a summary and a rewritten news article based on the text provided, keeping in mind the “View From India” perspective:
**Summary:**
A SpaceX Falcon Nine rocket launched NASA’s Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), carrying a payload of seeds from 11 countries, including India. The “World Seeds” study, spearheaded by Jaguar Space, aims to understand how microgravity affects seeds and their potential for future space agriculture. Seeds of seabuckthorn and buckwheat from Ladakh, India, sourced by the Bengaluru-based start-up Protoplanet, are part of the experiment. The goal is to identify resilient and nutrient-rich food sources for long-duration space missions, while also preserving global biodiversity for future spacefaring civilizations. Indian researchers will analyze the seeds upon their return, brought back by Crew-10.
**News Article:**
**From Ladakh to the Stars: Indian Seeds Take Flight on NASA Mission to Advance Space Agriculture**
**New Delhi, August 3, 2025:** In a landmark moment for Indian science and space exploration, seeds sourced from the cold desert of Ladakh have embarked on a journey to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of a groundbreaking international study. NASA’s Crew-11 mission, launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral on August 1st, carries the “World Seeds” payload, an initiative led by U.S.-based bioastronautics firm Jaguar Space.
The experiment, which includes seeds from 10 other nations across five continents, aims to understand how microgravity impacts seed germination and growth. Of particular interest to Indian researchers are seabuckthorn and Himalayan tartary seeds, hardy and nutrient-rich plants native to Ladakh. These seeds were carefully selected and provided by Protoplanet, a Bengaluru-based space start-up, highlighting the growing role of Indian innovation in the global space sector.
“We will study how the seeds react to micro-gravity conditions and their potential use as a food source for long-duration space missions,” explained Siddharth Pandey, Director of Protoplanet. The Himalayan tartary, a variety of buckwheat known for its nutritional value and gluten-free properties, is being closely examined for its potential as a sustainable food source in space.
The seeds are scheduled to return to Earth later this month with the Crew-10 mission, after a week of exposure to the unique environment of the ISS. Indian scientists will then conduct thorough analyses to determine the impact of microgravity on the seeds’ genetic makeup and metabolic pathways.
This experiment underscores the importance of preserving global biodiversity as humanity expands into space. “Beyond its scientific potential to advance research on climate resilience and global food security, the World Seeds payload represents a meaningful step toward ensuring that, as humanity becomes a spacefaring civilisation, the millennia-old knowledge, biodiversity, and cultural heritage of communities around the world are carried forward as an essential part of that journey,” said Dr. Luis Zea, Founder of Jaguar Space.
The participation of Indian seeds in this global endeavor reflects the country’s growing prominence in space research and its commitment to addressing the challenges of future space exploration while simultaneously contributing to advancements in agriculture and food security here on Earth. This marks another step forward for India’s growing role in the new space age.
First Piper 