NA61/SHINE: DETECTOR UPGRADES AND PHYSICS PLANS BEYOND 2020

The measurements of open charm meson production was proposed as an important tool to investigate the properties of hot and dense matter formed in nucleus-nucleus collisions. Recently, the experimental setup of the NA61/SHINE experiment was supplemented with a Vertex Detector which was motivated by the importance and the possibility of the first direct measurements of open charm meson produced in heavy-ion collisions at SPS energies. First test data taken in December 2016 on Pb+Pb collisions at 150A GeV/c allowed to validate the general concept of D-0 meson detection via its D-0 -> pi(+) + K- decay channel and delivered a first indication of open charm production. The physics motivation of open charm measurements at SPS energies, pilot results on open charm production and, finally, the future plans of measurements in the NA61/SHINE experiment after LS2 are presented.