Today a SpaceXCargo Dragon capsule with a space experiment on board designed by AB InBev has successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS). After taking off on top of a Falcon 9 rocket on Thursday the capsuled reached the ISS after a three-day flight.
The experiment financed by AB InBev called “Malting ABI Voyager Barley Seeds in Microgravity” will test the malting process in the microgravity of space and both AB InBev and NASA hope to understand how to better use the barley malt in making food such as bread.
Other experiments include genetically engineered super muscular “mighty mice,” pest-killing worms and a smart, empathetic robot.
Dragon is a free-flying spacecraft designed and manufactured by SpaceX, a private company founded in 2002 by visionary entrepreneur Elon Musk. Its purpose is to deliver both cargo and people to orbiting destinations. It is the only spacecraft currently flying that is capable of returning significant amounts of cargo to Earth.
The SpaceX Dragon will remain docked to the International Space Station for almost a month, before it returns to Earth on January 4 to retire.
Two years ago, AB InBev already had a similar space experiment, when it tested how barley reacted to microgravity environments over the course of one month (inside.beer, 23.11.2017).
When asked in 2017 about the benefits of such an experiment to AB Inbev, Ricardo Marques, at that time AB InBev’s VP Marketing Budweiser and in the meantime promoted to AB InBev’s Group Vice President of Marketing Core & Value said: "With this bold, new dream Budweiser is celebrating the entrepreneurial spirit in which our iconic brand was founded upon. Through our relentless focus on quality and innovation, Budweiser can today be enjoyed in every corner of the world, but we now believe it is time for the King of Beers to set its sights on its next destination. When the dream of colonizing Mars becomes a reality, Budweiser will be there to toast the next great step for mankind."
