Elon Musk’s SpaceX has agreed to carry Italian experiments on its Starship megarocket during planned future missions to Mars, according to a new deal announced on Thursday. “Italy is going to Mars!” Italian Space Agency president Teodoro Valente said on X, adding that the scientific experiments would fly on the first Starship trips to the red planet that have customers.

Musk dreams of colonizing Mars using Starship, however the massive rocket has suffered several setbacks after recent tests ended in spectacular explosions. Still, the world’s richest man - who is known for his aggressively optimistic timelines - maintains that the first Starship launches will take place next year.