In a historic achievement for African space research, the Egusi melon seed (Citrullus lanatus) became the first Nigerian and West African seed to enter orbit on the International Space Station (ISS) launched with SpaceX Falcon 9. The mission “๐๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ: ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐” explores how indigenous crops can contribute to long-duration space missions as well as Earth-based food resilience.
๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข ๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง
Egusi’s selection wasn’t arbitrary. With approximately 45.7% lipids and 23.4% protein, this West African staple delivers essential polyunsaturated fatty acids and amino acids critical for cardiovascular and muscular healthโparticularly valuable for astronauts facing microgravity-induced physiological challenges. As space agencies work to reduce dependence on Earth-based food supplies, nutritionally dense crops like Egusi offer promising solutions for sustainable space agriculture.
๐
๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐ซ๐๐ข๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ
The mission represents a collaborative effort involving NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Jaguar Space, The Karman Project and Space in Africa (Temidayo Oniosun, Ph.D.). Following its time aboard the ISS, Egusi seeds underwent post-flight genetic and viability testing at the University of Florida and Nigeria’s International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) to assess DNA stability after exposure to radiation and microgravity. These studies examine whether the crop can retain its nutritional and genetic integrity under extreme space conditions.
๐๐จ๐จ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ก๐๐๐
Researchers are now working to breed compact, hull-less Egusi varieties suitable for hydroponic cultivation in space habitats. Beyond food production, investigations include potential applications of Egusi oil as a sustainable biopolymer or lubricant for extraterrestrial environments.
๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐’๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐๐ง๐๐
This mission demonstrates how agricultural heritage from emerging space nations like Nigeria can advance both interplanetary sustainability and Earth-based food resilience. As Nigeria continues building its space capabilities, this mission serves as a powerful outreach tool, demonstrating that space exploration isn’t confined to traditional spacefaring nations. By integrating culturally significant crops into space research, such initiatives ensure nutritional diversity while inspiring the next generation of African scientists and space professionals who will shape sustainable space exploration for all nations.
๐๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐: ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐’๐ฌ ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข ๐๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ
