DLR’s Earth Observation Center

The world in transition Earth is in a constant state of change, and humans often trigger or contribute toward these changes to a significant degree. These include increasing urbanisation, expanding land use for agriculture, the loss of biodiversity, and changes in air quality. Change is also clearly perceptible in the melting of glaciers and the ...

MERLIN – The Franco­German satellite mission

MERLIN  From 2024, the Franco­German climate mission MERLIN (MEthane Remote sensing LIdar missioN) will detect the greenhouse gas methane using a Lidar instrument. Germany’s contribution to MERLIN is managed by the DLR Space Administration with funds from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). The DLR Institute of Atmospheric Physics provides the German Principal ...

GESTRA – Experimental space monitoring radar

GESTRA  GESTRA (German Experimental Space Surveillance and Tracking Radar) is an experimental space monitoring radar. The sensor is being developed and built by the Fraunhofer Institute for High Frequency Physics and Radar Techniques FHR and financed by DLR with funds from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). The space monitoring system is ...

CIMON®

Crew Interactive MObile companioN CIMON® (Crew Interactive MObile companioN) could be described as a ‘flying brain’ – an autonomous astronaut assistant. Powered by Artificial Intelligence, this globally unique technology demonstration will support the work of astronauts on the ISS and will bring advances to the fields of Industry 4.0, medicine and care, as well as education. ...

MMX Rover

Mar­ti­an Mo­ons eX­plo­ra­ti­on Ro­ver Simulation of the MMX Rover landing To analyse how the MMX Rover will behave under the conditions of reduced gravity on Phobos, the DLR Institute of System Dynamics and Control is conducting complex simulations. This simulation shows the particularly challenging mission phase of the final moments of the landing and the ...

ReFEX

ReFEX The Reusability Flight Experiment (ReFEx) is a technology demonstrator for future winged, reusable stages. This artistic representation shows ReFEx in its re-entry configuration after it has been launched from its carrier rocket. DLR manages the ReFex (Re-usability Flight Experiment) project, investigating alternative approaches for winged reusable launch vehicles with re-entry capabilities. Instead of a vertical ...

CALLISTO

Co­op­er­a­tive Ac­tion Lead­ing to Launch­er In­no­va­tion in Stage Toss back Op­er­a­tions With CALLISTO, DLR engineers, in collaboration with the French space agency CNES and the Japanese space agency JAXA, are designing a demonstrator that can launch vertically and then land in the same alignment (this is referred to as vertical take-off, vertical landing (VTLT)). CALLISTO ...