Polish seeds set for space mission to test cosmic resilience

Nearly half a million seeds from Poland are heading into space to study how plants cope with extreme conditions beyond Earth.

Poland is preparing to send nearly half a million seeds into suborbital space to study how plants withstand extreme conditions and develop more resilient crops. On the photo - Perun rocket during tests at Training Centre in Ustka, northern Poland.

Photo courtesy of SpaceForest

At the end of October, the Polish rocket Perun is expected to launch from the Air Force test range in Ustka, a coastal town in northern Poland on the Baltic Sea, carrying vegetable, herb and ornamental seeds produced by the Polish company TORAF.

The experiment will mark the first time seeds are tested in suborbital flight rather than on a space station.

Among the varieties on board are tomato, radish and lettuce seeds, which will be examined for possible genetic changes once they return to Earth.

Scientists hope the research will help develop hardier crop strains capable of withstanding harsh environments - both on our planet and, one day, beyond it.

🚀 PERUN - FLIGHT 3 coming this autumn 2025! We present the mission objectives, list of experiments, and research payloads - read more in the full article:https://t.co/16A7iI3xds

— SpaceForest (@SpaceForest2) October 9, 2025

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Source: IAR/SpaceForest