South Africa to Send Rooibos Seeds to the International Space Station in October

• South Africa plans to launch indigenous rooibos seeds to the ISS in October as part of a scientific experiment on space agriculture
• The mission is a joint initiative by the South African Rooibos Council, MaxIQ Space, and SANSA, with students from 7 Cederberg schools involved
• The project follows a 2025 mission that sent Nigerian egusi melon seeds to space aboard a NASA SpaceX rocket

SOUTH AFRICA - South Africa is preparing to send rooibos seeds to the International Space Station (ISS) in October, in what will be the country's first space agriculture experiment involving one of its most iconic indigenous crops.

According to a report, the seeds will travel inside a specialised nanolab and spend several weeks aboard the ISS, where they will be subjected to space radiation and microgravity conditions. Upon returning to Earth, researchers will germinate and grow them alongside a control batch of seeds that never left the ground. Comparing both sets will allow scientists to assess the effects of space conditions on germination rates, growth speed, crop yield, and plant resilience.

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Schools and farmers join the mission

The project, titled "Rooibos in Space," is a collaborative effort between the South African Rooibos Council, space education company MaxIQ Space, and the South African National Space Agency (SANSA). STEM education forms a central part of the mission's goals.

Students from seven schools in the Western Cape's Cederberg region, the world's only commercial growing zone for rooibos, will work alongside local farmers to track and document experimental outcomes. Students across the rest of the country will compete in a national contest to design the official mission patch.

A high-profile export steps into a scientific spotlight

Rooibos carries significant economic and cultural weight for South Africa. The plant supports thousands of jobs across its farming, processing, and distribution sectors. In 2025, annual exports exceeded 10,000 tonnes for the first time. The European Union has granted rooibos Protected Designation of Origin status, meaning only products harvested in South Africa can legally carry the name.

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Participation in a space research mission gives the country's most famous agricultural export visibility in an entirely new global arena.

The experiment also contributes to a broader international effort to understand how plants behave in extreme conditions. In August 2025, a separate mission carried Nigerian egusi melon seeds aboard NASA's SpaceX Crew-11.

Data gathered from both experiments could prove valuable for developing food systems on future crewed missions to the Moon or Mars, as well as informing the development of drought-resistant crops on Earth as climate conditions shift.

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Source: Briefly News