In 2017, a fully automated facility for plant bioscience research was launched to the International Space Station , giving scientists a controlled environment to study how plants grow away from Earth. The Advanced Plant Habitat, or APH, was delivered to the International Space Station on April 18, 2017. NASA describes it as the largest fully automated plant growth research facility used for plant bioscience research on the station. The facility was installed in the Japanese Experiment Module, known as Kibo. It occupies the lower half of an EXPRESS Rack and one powered International Sub-rack Interface Standard drawer. The setup provides an enclosed growth chamber where researchers can control conditions around plants while the facility operates with limited crew involvement.
