Around 100,000 Australian students will take part in space science experiments after more than 1,400 schools expressed interest in a national program run by the Australian Space Agency.
The response has prompted the expansion of Mission Sprouts, which will now reach approximately one in seven Australian schools, up from the program’s original target of one in 10.
The program gives students the opportunity to investigate how plants respond to the space environment using seeds that have travelled to the International Space Station.
Students will grow the space-flown seeds alongside Earth-grown seeds, recording observations and comparing their results as part of a hands-on scientific investigation.
The Australian Space Agency said more than 1,400 schools submitted expressions of interest after Mission Sprouts launched in July.
The first 400 of 1,437 experiment kits were distributed at the Conference of the Australian Science Teachers Association in Brisbane, where Australian astronaut and 2026 Australian of the Year Katherine Bennell-Pegg announced the expansion.
The kits contain microgreen seeds that have travelled to the International Space Station, together with resources to support students in conducting and analysing the experiments.
Mission Sprouts is a collaboration between the Australian Space Agency, Swinburne University of Technology and the National Australia Day Council, with support from the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space.
The program builds on research and education work at Swinburne University, where researchers have developed hands-on learning activities using space science.
Swinburne researchers Dr Rebecca Allen and Dr Sara Webb are also behind LaunchLabz, a university spinout developing educational experiences based on space research.
The experiment has a research focus beyond the classroom. Scientists are investigating how plants respond to the conditions of space as part of efforts to understand how food might eventually be grown during longer-duration space missions.
The Australian Space Agency said the response from schools had exceeded expectations and led to the decision to increase the number of schools receiving the kits.
Mission Sprouts is part of a broader effort to connect Australian students with STEM research and the country’s developing space sector.
For participating schools, the program provides a direct link between classroom science and research being conducted beyond Earth, with students able to collect their own observations and analyse the results.
The expanded Mission Sprouts program will distribute kits to schools nationally.