A memorandum on conducting analog studies of Mars was signed between the Armenian Aerospace Agency and the Austrian Space Forum (OeWF) in Yerevan on Monday, April 17, Sputnik Armenia reports.

The Austrian Space Forum (OeWF) will be conducting its next AMADEE-24 Mars simulation in Armenia in March 2024. A small field crew of highly trained analog astronauts with spacesuit simulators will conduct experiments preparing for future human and robotic Mars exploration missions.

The agreement was signed by the head of the Armenian Space Agency (ArmCosmos) Mher Mehrabyan and OeWF director Gernot Grömer.

According to Grömer, Armenia will be at the epicenter of Mars exploration throughout the year.

He expressed hope that the country would take an active part in the project in terms of attracting innovative developments.

"Representatives from 20 countries want to join the researchers," Grömer said.