China plans to launch its first satellite to grow plants in space.

The Commission of Science and Technology and Industry for National Defense says the project, which has been in the pipeline for some years, is now ready to be implemented.

Since 1987, China has conducted nine experiments to optimize plants by sending them into space on satellites for short periods. This has yielded good results for China in making plants more resilient and increasing output.

But this is the first Chinese satellite designed specially to breed plants in space. Seeds and microorganisms will be carried to a distance of two to four hundred kilometers above ground to observe the effect of microgravity on their growth pattern.

The first plant to be grown in space was a type of wheat, in an experiment by researchers in Wisconsin in 1997.  

(Source: en.chinabroadcast.cn)