The Alqueva Lake Observatory (OLA) in Monsaraz is preparing to host, from October 13th to 25th, the Monsaraz Mars Analog Mission, the first analog mission (a mission that simulates the Martian environment on Earth) conducted in a habitat on Portuguese soil.
The mission is part of the World’s Biggest Analog, an international initiative that will carry out the largest proof of concept space simulation mission to prepare for living and working in space, uniting multiple habitats and collaborative research around the globe. Portuguese participation in the WBA marks a new step in consolidating our country on the international map of analog space exploration.
Learn more about the Monsaraz Mars Analog Mission
NUCLIO will be the educational and outreach partner, ensuring the mission’s connection with schools and the wider community, following the recent analog mission for students, EXPLORE 1, within the scope of the EXPLORE project.
As such, NUCLIO will invite schools to a unique online event that connects classrooms to the Mission at OLA in Monsaraz, offering students from Portugal and other Portuguese-speaking countries exclusive access to the mission’s interior, where they can interact with the team in real time.
The sessions will feature a Q&A with the analog astronauts and a virtual tour of the mission habitat and control center (MICO-VIE).
This is a fantastic opportunity to engage students in STEM fields and bring the themes of space, technology, and exploration into the classroom.
School Sessions (in Portuguese)
- October 16, 2025 – 10:00 AM (Lisbon time)
- October 22, 2025 – 10:00 AM (Lisbon time)
Monsaraz Mars Analog Mission
The Monsaraz Mars Analog Mission is part of the international World’s Biggest Analog (WBA) initiative, the largest space simulation mission, combining multiple habitats and collaborative research on Earth, paving the way for the future of human life in space.
Following the success of the CAMões Mission – carried out in November 2023 in the Azores, inside the Gruta do Natal, on Terceira Island – this new experience now brings the spirit of scientific exploration to the heart of Alentejo, where researchers and analog astronauts will simulate conditions similar to those on Mars.
Over the two-week operation, diverse scientific experiments will be conducted and technologies tested, such as innovative software and drones, including projects in collaboration with international institutions, reinforcing the scientific relevance of the mission.
The Monsaraz Mission team, which will enter the habitat that simulates a space station on Mars, is composed of three Portuguese researchers – Pedro Pedroso, Rafael Rebelo and Diogo Paupério – and two international scientists, Florence Basubas and Nadine Duursma, from the Philippines and the Netherlands.
The Mission Control Center will be led by INESC TEC researcher Ana Pires, the first Portuguese woman scientist-astronaut and commander of the CAMões mission, together with Slavka Carvalho Andrejkovičová from the University of Aveiro and a NASA collaborator.
Crew Commander
Communications Officer / Engineering Support
Flight Engineer / Robotics Specialist
Science Officer / Planetary Geologist
Executive and Medical Officer
Directors of the Monsaraz Mission Control Center
The Alqueva Lake Observatory (OLA) is responsible for project leadership in Monsaraz, as well as for habitat operations and management.
The scientific and technological leadership is provided by INESC TEC, in partnership with NATIXIS.
The mission also has the support of the Associação Os Montanheiros, leaders of the CAMões Mission.
NUCLIO is the educational and outreach partner.