The Commission of Science Technology and Industry for National Defense revealed yesterday that China would launch the first "seed satellite" specially designed for seed-breeding in space. The "seed satellite" project has been approved and initiated development work in a comprehensive way.

The "seed satellite" project consists of satellite research and development, launch and recovery, seed breeding, mechanism research and simulation tests.

In space seed-breeding, seeds and animalcula are sent into space about 200 to 400 km away from the earth in recoverable satellite or recoverable space vehicles and exposed to cosmic radiation, micro-gravity, high vacuum, alternating magnetic field and other special factors to cause useful mutation that is hard to obtain on the earth. After selection and cultivation of seeds and trial plant, scientists will be able to cultivate high-yield and high-quality plant variants.

Chinese scientists hope to send seeds to the space with the "seed satellite" and carry out space seed-breeding to cultivate new plant variants with outstanding mutation properties with mature induced mutation breeding technologies of the country.

The recoverable "seed satellite" is designed to return to the earth after the launch and leave the "micro-gravity experiment system" in the orbit as an "unmanned space lab" to serve in the space.

(Chinanews May 30, 2005)