The DLR Center for Satellite Based Crisis Information (ZKI) When an earthquake occurs or a tsunami strikes the mainland, we realise that Earth is at risk – continuously. Another thing is clear: the repercussions of these disasters on the population and economic assets in the affected regions have risen sharply in recent decades. Nevertheless, satellite-based ...
Intelligent building blocks for satellites … and more The conventional design approach for space systems is based on a monolithic solution, developed for a specifc application scenario. The disadvantages in this regard include high development costs or unsustainable solutions for maintenance in orbit, as well the issue of space debris. In contrast, the individual modules ...
Insight into the flow of matter inside Earth Earth’s interior resembles the layers of an onion. But what exactly occurs there? Until now, theoretical physics has been unable to provide conclusive answers to this question. Anyone seeking to research this kind of flow in a terrestrial laboratory setting will encounter a problem – gravity. Gravitation ...
Flying over Mars Home to the sweeping highlands of Mars, pockmarked with craters, the region is 2.3 million square kilometres in size. It also includes parts of the Ares Vallis valley, the chaotic landscape of Aram Chaos, the ancient Mawrth Vallis valley and the Meridiani Planum and Chryse Planitia plains. The flm clip shows the ...
The Franco-German satellite mission The Franco-German climate mission MERLIN (Methane Remote Sensing Lidar Mission) is expected to measure methane levels in Earth’s atmosphere from 2023 with unprecedented accuracy. Missions like MERLIN help to gain a deeper insight into the mechanisms that influence climate on Earth. Data from the mission are processed and evaluated jointly and ...
Tracking animal migration Technology demonstration – research on animal migration ICARUS is based on collaborative work between the DLR Space Administration and the Russian space agency Roscosmos. Using funds from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), the DLR Space Administration has commissioned the Max Planck Institute of Ornithology (MPIO) in Radolfzell ...
Experimental space monitoring radar GESTRA (German Experimental Space Surveillance and Tracking Radar) is an experimental space monitoring radar designed to record the orbital data of satellites and debris in Low Earth Orbit at an altitude of between 300 and 3000 kilometres. It is expected to conduct its frst measurements from 2019. The radar is operated ...
Located in Oberpfaffenhofen near Munich, the German Space Operations Centre (GSOC) is part of DLR’s space operations and astronaut training division, the key institution for implementing space missions in Germany. It has facilities in Oberpfaffenhofen, Weilheim and Cologne. Its responsibilities extend from satellite missions for Earth observation, science and communications, through to human spaceflight and ...
Unique testing competency for European space transport DLR in Lampoldshausen has more than 50 years of experience and history, as well as core competencies in the feld of liquid chemical space propulsion. The global space market is constantly growing and changing. The cost of launchers is decreasing in line with increasing reliability and effciency. The ...
Integrated development of complex systems with virtual testbeds The INVIRTES project aims to develop concepts for the construction of a crystallisation point where complex systems in the area of space robotics and related felds can be developed. This crystallisation point is intended to support development as a so-called engineering backbone and bring together the results ...
Hunting for Dark Energy Since the Big Bang, the Universe has been expanding. This expansion should actually be slowed down by the gravity of matter. But driven by Dark Energy, the expansion is accelerating. The physical phenomenon ‘Dark Energy’ is largely unexplained. The German X-ray telescope eROSITA (extended Roentgen Survey with an Imaging Telescope Array), ...
Skin changes in space The SKIN B exhibit (SKIN B reference model) being showcased is identical to the model used from 2013 to 2017 on the International Space Station (ISS) (excluding the laptop). The SKIN B hardware consists of three instruments used to assess the condition of the skin (a Tewameter, a Corneometer and a ...