Latest in-orbit results from prototype Qingzhou cargo spacecraft show China is testing cameras, refrigeration and bio-support capsule
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenDannie Pengin BeijingPublished: 9:00pm, 29 Jun 2026China has hopes for a desert moss that it says could colonise Mars following a revival experiment inside a mini space laboratory that showed it was remarkably resilient, state broadcaster CCTV said on Monday.The plant, a highly drought-resistant species called Syntrichia caninervis, was revived after it was subjected to a series of extreme space conditions – including microgravity, intense radiation and severe dehydration – according to the report.
Chinese scientists had previously established in simulated Martian environments that the moss was a promising pioneer species for colonising extraterrestrial worlds.
03:00China launches Shenzhou-21 spacecraft with 4 mice aboard for 6-month experimentThe findings are expected to “provide theoretical backing” for its use in low-energy ecological improvement and the in-situ use of local resources for future off-Earth settlements.
The experiment was among the latest in-orbit test results from the prototype Qingzhou cargo spacecraft that were released on Monday following an earlier batch of scientific and engineering trial outcomes announced in April.
According to CCTV, the results are expected to help China deploy its new space technologies, operate and maintain the space station safely and efficiently, and make the best use of future space resources.
