Earlier this year, Budweiser announced its plans to be the first beer on Mars. This week it took one giant step toward that goal with the announcement it plans to send and study barley, one of the key ingredients in beer, on the International Space Station.
Budweiser, along with several researchers, will initiate two barley experiments via SpaceX’s upcoming cargo supply mission. The mission is scheduled to depart on Dec. 4 from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Once the barley makes it to space, it will stay in orbit for a month before making a return to Earth to be analyzed.
“Budweiser is always pushing the boundaries of innovation and we are inspired by the collective American Dream to get to Mars,” Ricardo Marques, vice president at Budweiser said in a statement. “We are excited to begin our research to brew beer for the red planet.”
The group will conduct experiments to see how barley seeds react to the microgravity environment. The research is expected to offer insight on what will be necessary to create beer on the Red Planet as well as provide information on the future production of barley here on Earth.