used this breeding technology after it first started experiments on crop mutagenesis in space in 1987. Since that year, China has sent crop seeds into Earth orbit dozens of times. In 1990, Chinese scientists announced the first successful space-cultivated crop, a sweet pepper called Yujiao No. 1. Liu Luxiang said that Yujiao No. 1 has larger fruit and stronger disease resistance than sweet pepper varieties traditionally grown in China. China has become a global aerospace power in the past few decades,
so it has the ability to send large quantities of crop seeds phone database into Earth orbit. In 2006, China launched the largest batch of seeds and microorganisms ever (152 seeds and strains with a total weight of more than 250 kilograms) into Earth orbit with the "Shijian 8" satellite. In May 2022, China's manned Shenzhou 13 returned from China's Tianhe Space Station, bringing back 12,000 seeds for space mutagenesis experiments, including several forages, as well as oats, alfalfa and fungi. China even carried a batch of rice seeds during the Chang'e 5 moon landing mission in November 2020,
and experienced a back and forth trip between the earth and the moon. Chinese news reports said the moon-going rice seeds were successfully planted in experimental fields and harvested after returning to Earth. Liu Luxiang said, "We have benefited greatly from China's strong space program. We can use returnable satellites, high-altitude platform stations and manned spacecraft to send seeds into space, and use these space facilities to cultivate improved crops. Twice."