Future Fruit: Chinese ‘Space Mangoes’ Will Change the Way You Eat Produce

Does climate change mean fruit may one day refuse to grow the old fashioned way? You know, in soil, on earth, with a good amount of sunshine and water?

The answer may be yes, because while some deny the truth of climate change, future fruit is very real: China is growing interstellar fruit.

That’s right. China just retrieved mango seeds planted and grown by radiation from a 33-day mission aboard the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft. Chinese scientists were excited to share their innovation on TV and show off the “baby mangoes in glass jars.” 

“Space mangoes are expected to be insect-resistant, of higher qualiy and provide more output,” Peng Longrong, head of the project, explained. The team says that the fruit was not only exposed to radiation, but also unusual “space breeding” conditions that allow them to adapt to extreme environments.

Currently, the team is testing which of the mango tissues is the most “genetically-superior.”

Though exciting, the mangoes are far from ready for public consumption.

But the question – bigger than “When can I try a space mango?” – is what does this mean for the future of other fruits. Will there, for example, be space guava, space nopales, and space plantains? The answer, pun intended, is in the stars.

Check out the space mangoes below: