The EXPLORE project is reaching a new milestone, its first simulated mission—23-27 June 2025 in Alqueva, Portugal.

This is not just another school trip — it’s a pioneering mission, where the students will live, work, and think like space explorers. Together, they’ll be simulating what it means to be part of an international crew, facing real challenges and learning in ways few students ever experience. 

For almost a year students from Austria, Greece and Portugal have been building up to this moment. Through the EXPLORE project activities and toolkits they have been learning about space exploration and its significance in our daily lives, understanding the importance of preserving the Earth’s environment with hands-on experience, improving their digital skills, becoming problem solvers, and learning to collaborate. They have also been getting acquainted with innovative digital solutions and their teachers have been introduced to innovative student-centred methodologies and new tools and technologies that facilitate the integration of digital content into their curricula.

And from 23 to 27 June, all this learning and practice will be put to the test in the challenging, barren environment of Observatório do Lago Alqueva, an isolated region of Portugal, where they will be far from their friends and family. Their mission will replicate a space mission on Mars, involving the detailed planning and procedures necessary for safety and scientific precision and discovery.

Student testimonials about their participation in the mission:

Joining the EXPLORE project feels like stepping into the future of learning—where curiosity meets innovation, and dreams of space become hands-on reality. I’m thrilled to be part of a mission that not only simulates Mars but also ignites the explorer within us all.
Angelika Mara, from Ellinogermaniki Agogi, Greece

For me, this experience could help me better understand the situations and problems that may arise, as well as personally experience what can happen during space missions.
Frederico Jesus, from Escola Secundária de Paredes, Portugal.

Follow their progress on our social media channels and stay tuned – more updates coming soon!

Our nine European high school students had the opportunity to be astronauts for a week during the first analog mission of the EXPLORE project, held at the Alqueva Lake Observatory in the heart of Alentejo.

Due to the exceptional nature of this analog mission, the interest from schools and the media was significant. The students organized online interviews with Austrian schools and a radio station, HitRadio OE3. Lusa, a Portuguese news agency, issued a media press to Portuguese media, and the project was featured in the online editions of Público, Expresso and Forbes Portugal, as well as many other newspapers, magazines, and online platforms throughout the country. On the penultimate day, SIC TV station was on site to film a report aired in the Sunday afternoon news and on SIC Notícias, and TVI station was present on the final day. The Portuguese students also participated in the program Radar XS, on RTP, the Portuguese national broadcaster.

It was a fantastic and unforgettable week! Check out the photos below!