Credit: Ievgenii Karanov, Chronicle.lu
On Tuesday 30 June 2026, the Euro Space Center in Transinne, Belgium, officially inaugurated Mars Explorer, a new interactive attraction dedicated to the exploration of the Red Planet.
The launch forms part of the centre's 35th anniversary celebrations and expands its range of immersive experiences. The new family attraction takes visitors on an interactive scientific mission to Mars through a series of challenges and educational activities.
In his opening speech, Euro Space Center Director Karim Dieu said the launch of the new attraction marked another milestone in the centre's 35-year history: "Our mission at the Euro Space Center has always been to inspire future careers, nurture dreams and show young people that scientific and technological professions are within their reach." He noted that the centre has welcomed hundreds of thousands of young visitors since opening in 1991, offering immersive educational experiences designed to make space exploration more accessible and encourage interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Following the opening ceremony, pupils from the École communale de Libin became the first to experience Mars Explorer. Explaining the attraction, Karim Dieu told Chronicle.lu that visitors take their seats in the cockpit of a spacecraft before travelling virtually across the Red Planet, where they explore scientific points of interest, including volcanoes, canyons, polar ice formations and the Martian moons Phobos and Deimos. "At every stop, they receive scientific information and become active participants in the mission," he explained.
Twelve-year-old Elia described the experience as "fun". "It was fun seeing all the detail about Mars and exploring all the different places," he said. Asked whether he would like to travel into space himself, he replied: "No." He added: "Space is like a mystery. It's nice.”
After the virtual reality experience, the pupils explored the Mars Village exhibition, where interactive displays explained the conditions for future human missions to Mars. They also remotely controlled miniature Mars rovers across a simulated Martian landscape and completed a series of interactive activities.
Located around 100 km from Luxembourg City, the Euro Space Center will officially open Mars Explorer to the public on Sunday 5 July 2026. The new attraction is included in the centre's Spationaut Day programme, which offers approximately six hours of astronaut-inspired activities. Admission costs from €32 per person.
Further information on opening hours, online booking is available on the Euro Space Center's website.
