No earlier than July 2026, a small pod will leave Earth carrying two things: prairie flower seeds and a letter.
The mission is REVIVE, the latest project from The Spring Institute. Integrated via Exolaunch, Tumbleweed’s Pod Alpha module will launch aboard the Transporter-17 rideshare mission with SpaceX.
REVIVE began as a scientific mission to send a living micro-vernal pool into orbit, a study of how ecosystems respond to microgravity. When a container leak was discovered ahead of the vibration test (an important certification milestone before flight), it was a reminder of just how unforgiving space engineering is: sending water safely into orbit, on top of a rocket packed with sensitive electronics, leaves no margin for error. The team had to make a call: stand down, or find another way.
Engineers, biologists and interns who had spent months on the project chose the latter. With the help of artist Mélodie Le Corre, they reimagined what could go inside the pod.
The pod now carries prairie flower seeds, held in place by a release mechanism designed to let them float freely in zero gravity, alongside a handwritten letter. Excerpt:
“If you are reading these words, it means that something has travelled a very long time to meet you. This object comes from the year 2026, from a world where humans still looked at the sky and wondered who would come after them. Inside, you will find seeds. They are tiny — almost like dust. But they are not only plants. They are also a message from the past: someone, a very long time before you, believed that beauty could continue…”
The artwork draws on a story about hope that has stayed with Le Corre for years: Kazuo Umezu’s manga The Drifting Classroom, in which a mother sends seeds into the future on a satellite, hoping they might reach her son. She does not know if they will arrive, but sends them anyway.
The letter in the pod carries the same spirit.
A big thank you to Tumbleweed and Delft University of Technology – this project wouldn’t have happened without them.
Read more here.
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About The Spring Institute for Forests on the Moon
The Spring Institute for Forests on the Moon is a space education and outreach organisation based in Pleaux, France. It aims to redefine space exploration for the next generation, engaging people from diverse nationalities and disciplines and inspiring them to see the stars as humanity’s shared cultural heritage. Find out more here.
About Mélodie Le Corre
Mélodie Le Corre is a French visual artist based in Japan since 2018. She develops a distinctive practice at the intersection of visual arts, immersive technologies, and ecological research. Trained at the École des Beaux-Arts de Quimper, she developed a particular sensitivity to spatial staging and installation. Her current research focuses on the fragility of life in hostile environments, moving between bird ecosystems on Earth and the imagined landscapes of future lunar stations.
About Tumbleweed Microgravity Tumbleweed develops standardised Pod modules designed to make microgravity research accessible to everyone without the cost or complexity of traditional space missions. Find out more here. For more information about Tumbleweed, reach out to Linda Maier, Communication Manager at Tumbleweed, linda.maier@team-tumbleweed.com
Press contact for REVIVE and The Spring Institute: Desiree McGinn desiree@thespringinstitute.com or contactus@thespringinstitute.com
Previous REVIVE media mentions:
https://payloadspace.com/austrias-first-commercial-sat-is-ready-for-launch/
What’s next
The Spring Institute’s next mission, SCAMPI, is scheduled to launch Autumn 2026.