(VOVWORLD) - As many as 169 Vietnamese lotus seeds will on Monday embark on a journey into space with Amanda Nguyen, a Vietnamese-American astronaut, from Van Horn, Texas, the US, according to the Vietnam National Space Center (VNSC).
 Every astronaut has a window seat in the spacious and pressurized crew capsule. The cabin seats six and is environmentally controlled for comfort. (Photo: Blue Origin) |
The VNSC has partnered with Amanda for the historic NS-31 mission, which marks a significant milestone in space exploration and Vietnam-US cooperation in the field.
Amanda will make history aboard Blue Origin's first all-female crew mission when transporting the symbolic botanical payload from her homeland.
The lotus seeds, selected by the Center for Flowers, Ornamental Research and Development of the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences, will return to Earth after the mission for scientific study. Researchers will examine how space conditions affect their growth patterns, contributing to plant science and space exploration.
Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Anh Tuan, VNSC’s Director General, said, “This event highlights the collaboration between the Vietnam Space Center and the US Embassy, which provided strong support throughout the process.”
“It also symbolizes growing scientific cooperation between the two countries. Sending lotus seeds, a cultural symbol of Vietnam, into space serves as both a gesture of international partnership and a meaningful representation of Vietnamese identity reaching beyond Earth,” said Tuan.
Amanda Nguyen will be joined by five accomplished female crew members, namely Aisha Bowe, a former aerospace engineer of Bahamian-American heritage, renowned journalist Gayle King, singer-philanthropist Katy Perry, film producer Kerianne Flynn, and helicopter pilot and journalist Lauren Sánchez.
This is the first all-female crew since Valentina Tereshkova's pioneering flight in 1963, highlighting progress in gender equality within the aerospace sector.