A space laboratory

China recently launched the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft, aboard which a series of space experiments will be conducted in orbit. For this purpose, samples and equipment for nine scientific projects, with a total weight of 54.1 kg, have been transported into space. Rice seeds, liver cells, nanozymes, actinomycetes and perovskite solar cells are among the materials being used.

During the mission, research will focus on the ability to grow agricultural crops in space, with an emphasis on both quality and yield. In 2022, rice seeds were sent into space, where they completed their full life cycle from germination to the production of new seeds.

This new mission is a first, as two successive generations of rice will be cultivated in orbit. Researchers hope to achieve a complete cycle from seed to plant and then to a new generation of seeds, in order to better understand the impact of prolonged exposure to microgravity on the genetic stability of rice. The work could also help to identify new genes with strong application potential.

In the energy field, perovskite solar cells could offer a promising solution for future space stations, lunar bases and deep-space installations. However, their ability to withstand extreme space conditions, including ultraviolet and particle radiation, atomic oxygen corrosion and large temperature fluctuations, still needs to be studied.

The mission will therefore carry out the first complete "space health check" of this type of solar cell aboard the space station. The objective is to verify its performance under real space conditions and to develop a reliable "space charger" for future exploration missions. The results will provide important technological reserves for low-Earth orbit satellites, deep-space exploration and the energy systems of future lunar bases.

In parallel, samples of nanozymes, actinomycetes and plant seeds will be placed in an external biological exposure device to undergo space radiation exposure during a five-month orbital experiment. This study will enable a systematic analysis of the effects of space radiation on different forms of biological material.