Italy is heading to Mars with SpaceX: what experiments will be conducted on the Red Planet

The Italian Space Agency (ASI) has planned to conduct scientific experiments on Mars in cooperation with the American company SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk. The president of ASI, Giorgio Sacchetti, announced the signed agreement that will allow for Italian research during the first flights of Starship to the Red Planet.

“Italy is heading to Mars! ASI and SpaceX have signed the first agreement to conduct Italian experiments during the initial flights of Starship to Mars,” wrote ASI president Giorgio Sacchetti.

According to the agreement, Italian scientific equipment will carry out observations and research in two stages of the mission, including experiments in plant growth, weather monitoring, and measuring radiation on Mars.

New crew on the International Space Station

Already on Saturday, August 2, SpaceX delivered a new crew to the International Space Station in just 15 hours. Four astronauts from the USA, Russia, and Japan arrived at the station, where they will replace their colleagues for at least six months. After the mission, SpaceX will bring them back to Earth.

Zenna Cardman and Mike Fink from NASA, Kimiya Yui from Japan, and Oleg Platonov from Russia formed the new crew that adapted to the new conditions and tasks on the ISS.

The stated news reveals information about the cooperation between the Italian Space Agency and SpaceX on the mission with scientific research on Mars, as well as about the new crew of astronauts who arrived at the International Space Station for a long-term stay.