“AMADEE-24” Mars Analog Research Mission in Armenia
DATES
October, 2023 – April, 2024
Clients
Armenian Space Forum
Armenian Aerospace Agency
Service
Strategic PR Consulting, Local and International Media Relations
Category
Science
Overview
From Earth to Mars or from Austria to Armenia: In 2024, Armenia hosted “AMADEE-24” in Armenia, a prestigious program in the field of analog space technology research, where SPRING PR was the PR partner. The program was organized and implemented by the “Armenian Aerospace Agency” and the “Armenian Space Forum,” with management overseen by the “Austrian Space Forum.”
The Mars Analog Station resided in Armenia, while the flight control, flight planning, remote science support, and on-site media teams were operating from Vienna. Representing various space research institutions and agencies, over 250 scientists from 26 countries participated in the mission.
The project’s execution culminated from years of hard work. Three years ago, when the Austrian Space forum sought a site for the mission, Armenia featured on the list of the host countries. Due to its geological and topographical similarities to the Red Planet, among a dozen of other observed locations, the village of Armash was chosen as the testing ground for the “AMADEE-24” Mars Analog Mission.
It was at the “Imaginary Mars” or “Armash Mars Analog Station,” that a team of highly trained analog astronauts isolated themselves on March 12 to conduct 13 experiments with various rovers and robotics within almost a month, preparing for future human and robotic exploration missions to Mars. The conducted experiments included Genes4Mars, Astronaut performance and health monitoring with biomarkers, Hort³Space focused on development of innovative and autonomous cultivation systems for future long-term space missions. Other experiments were IAQHabitat, FarSide, Staying Alive, PRESSURE, EIEE, HUMANISE, MEROP, SAMPLE, iROCS, and ALIX.
The 14th international Mars Analog Mission marked its conclusion on April 5, where the guests welcomed the analog astronauts already back on “Earth,” had an opportunity to engage with them, capture moments, as well as familiarize themselves with the robotic tests of the scientific experiments.
Strategy
In spearheading the PR efforts for the “AMADEE-24” Mars Analog Research Mission, SPRING PR contributed to the positioning of Armenia in the center of attention of the global Mars research community. Central to our approach was PR consulting and precise media relations, executed through a carefully crafted action plan.
The communication included 3 phases: Pre- Mission Communications (October 23 – March 11), Isolation Phase Communications (March 12- April 5), and Post-Mission Communications (April 6 – May 27).
The pre-communication phase included 2 exclusive interviews with the coordination of the Armenian delegation’s visit to Austria garnering significant attention from both local and international media outlets. To ensure comprehensive coverage and understanding of the project, SPRING PR coordinated a specialized media training session, acquainting journalists with scientific terminology and the special guidelines of the events. It was conducted remotely, featuring the director of the Austrian Space Forum, Gernot Grömer, and Communication & Media Officer, Monika Fischer, introducing the mission, professional terminology as well as the specific guidelines for the coverage. This laid the groundwork for positive, widespread, and informed coverage of the mission.This laid the groundwork for positive, widespread, and informed coverage of the mission.
Critical to our strategy was the coordination of media activities surrounding key events. Before the Mission Start on March 12, SPRING PR meticulously crafted and distributed media invitations and other relevant documents to ensure proper accreditation, thereby acquainting media personnel with project guidelines and requirements. Further, during the media day on March 11, we ensured the presence of top local media outlets.
For the Mission Start on March 12, before the isolation of the analog astronauts, a press conference on the test site further amplified media engagement, showcasing Armenia’s pivotal role in the mission.
Throughout the isolation phase, SPRING PR continued to coordinate interviews with the representatives from the two countries on various TV platforms to sustain momentum and interest in the mission. As the Official Closing Ceremony (the Walk Out) approached on April 5, our team orchestrated full-scale media relations, preparing bilingual media documents and crafting pre- and post-event releases for local and international outlets.
A highlight of our post-mission engagement was an exclusive online interview with Gernot Gromer, offering a comprehensive summary of the mission’s achievements and Armenia’s pivotal role. This collaborative effort culminated in a successful PR campaign, solidifying Armenia’s prominence in the realm of Mars research and fostering enduring media relationships for future endeavors.
Outcomes
- 3 media invitations, 6 post release dissemination (3 for local in Armenian and English and 3 for the international media)
- 10 media outlets present at the media training, 9 out which later independently covered the topic
- 790 publications overall
- 217 publications in the local media, 160 out of which are in Armenian, 28 in English, 28 in Russian, and 1 in German
- 3 exclusive interviews with Gernot Grömer, Mher Mehrabyan, Hayk Aslanyan
- 570 publications in the global news databases, such as Bloomberg Terminal, Moody’s Analytics, MUCK RACK, Naviga, MENAFN, crunchbase including top international media outlets, such as AP News, UK Business Reporter, Technology News UK, UK Daily News Online, WPGX Fox 28, The Global European, US Times Gazette, The Vienna Chronicle, The Austrian Gazette, Sci-Tech Press Austria, The America Watch, The Marketing Communicator, The Europe Daily Report, US National Times etc.
