Early morning on November 23rd, 2022, the SubOrbital Express-3 science rocket was launched from Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden. Sharing the cargo space with a variety of highly advanced research projects, a selection of apple tree twigs was sent into space.
Up there, 260 km above Earth’s surface, the different apple varieties – ranging from Gravensteiner and Ladina to Red Astrakan and Newton Wonder – reached an altitude of 257 kilometers and spent more than 6 minutes in space before returning to Earth.
Once back, the apple twigs were grafted and pre-cultivated for two years in Switzerland. And now, a total of seven young space apple trees are ready to be planted at education and science centers across Sweden. An official inauguration of the project was held at one of these locations, the Royal Botanical Gardens of Stockholm, on April 28th 2025.
“The project, named Newton, aims to highlight the importance of space in our everyday lives on Earth. In this case, through the concrete experience of soon being able to hold in your hand an apple that originated from space. We hope this could attract more brilliant minds to our exciting industry, says Gunnar Florin, SSC project manager for the Newton project.
The project is a joint initiative by Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) and University of Zürich Space Hub.
More footage available at https://sscspace.canto.global/b/RFF8J
