German Aerospace Center (DLR)
LightNews LightNews
banner
dlr-en.bsky.social
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
@dlr-en.bsky.social
910 followers 89 following 7.8K posts
We're the German Aerospace Center & are passionate about our research in #Energy #Transport #Aeronautics #Digitalisation #Space

dlr.de/en
dlr.de/imprint
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
dlr-en.bsky.social
German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · May 1
Scotty, beam me up! 🖖 The LUNA hall has a new addition: the FLEXhab space habitat. 🌒 This mobile home in a container will be used for oxygen supply testing, rock analysis, psychological experiments & more – greatly expanding LUNA's capabilities. ℹ️: www.dlr.de/en/blog/arch... 🔭
The FLEXhab container next to the LUNA hall in Cologne. A cosy dining area inside FLEXhab with blue seats, table and cupboard. The FLEXhab container provides a compact workspace for tasks like analyzing rock samples and preparing them for return to Earth. The sleeping area in FLEXhab includes four small padded sleeping berths.
dlr-en.bsky.social
🛰️Sentinel-1D satellite successfully launched! 🚀

Together with its companion satellite Sentinel-1C (launched in 2024), 1D will capture Earth’s surface in its entirety every 6 days! A major step for Earth observation.🌍

ℹ️ www.dlr.de/en/latest/ne...
November 6, 2025 at 8:58 AM
Reposted by German Aerospace Center (DLR)
esa.int
🚀 #WatchLive: Tonight we have the launch of the #Copernicus Sentinel-1D satellite on Ariane 6 flight #VA265. Tune in from 20:35 GMT/21:35 CET on #ESAwebTV2 to watch live.

📺 watch.esa.int

More details👇 @cnes.fr @euspa.bsky.social @ec.europa.eu @thalesaleniaspace.bsky.social @transport.esa.int
Watch live: Sentinel-1D launch on Ariane 6
The Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission is about to get its fourth satellite, with Sentinel-1D now ready for liftoff. Launch will take place with an Ariane 6 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana and live cover...
www.esa.int
November 4, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Reposted by German Aerospace Center (DLR)
transport.esa.int
Launch Readiness Review concludes: we are ready!

🛰️Earth observer Copernicus Sentinel-1D is on its #Ariane6 rocket and set for launch.
☁️ Weather conditions favourable.
🚀 Liftoff at 21:03 GMT/22:03 CET
▶️ Watch live: www.esa.int/Applications...
November 4, 2025 at 10:24 AM
dlr-en.bsky.social
🌕 From Moon dust to mission essentials!

At the #LUNA hall, 8 teams competed in the @esa.int Space Resources Challenge 2025.

Team BREMEN (DLR + DFKI) showed off with the Coyote III rover🤖 & a Moon dust processor 🏗️– paving the way for long-term missions to the Moon! 🌙
The Coyote III rover depositing moon dust in the dosing machine. Both are located in the LUNA Moon analogue hall. Five members of team BREMEN in the LUNA hall, standing around their rover and dosing system. The Coyote III rover in the LUNA moon analog hall, surrounded by gray dust and rocks.
November 3, 2025 at 11:40 AM
dlr-en.bsky.social
✈️ Science in free-fall!
@dlr-spaceagency.bsky.social's 45th parabolic flight campaign lifts off from 🇫🇷! Eleven German experiments explore microgravity aboard the ZERO-G Airbus—from hydrogen bubbles to liquid metal spacecraft tech. 🔬 35 mins of weightlessness, without even going to space!🌍
October 30, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Reposted by German Aerospace Center (DLR)
pulse-eic.eu
The 45th parabolic flight campaign of @dlr-en.bsky.social & Novespace is starting! Our @uni-magdeburg.de are there!

Aboard is the CIRCULATION 1 experiment to test the functionality of the our #EUfunded magneto-acoustic bioprinter under microgravity conditions! 🧲 🔊 💗

Photos by Katrin Maria S
October 28, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Reposted by German Aerospace Center (DLR)
exploration.esa.int
🌕 Robots on the Moon — almost!

Eight teams from 🇨🇦 🇩🇰 🇩🇪 🇱🇺 🇵🇱 🇬🇧 tested robotic systems to dig and sort simulated Moon soil at the @esa.int - @dlr-en.bsky.social LUNA facility in Cologne, Germany.

✨ The goal? Tech for sustainable lunar living.

🔗 www.esa.int/Science_Expl...
October 24, 2025 at 2:20 PM
dlr-en.bsky.social
🚀Ariane 6 Vinci engine – now made in Germany! 🇩🇪

Following a joint agreement by ArianeGroup and DLR, ArianeGroup Germany will take over final assembly and testing of the Vinci engine — the powerhouse behind Ariane 6’s upper stage!
October 24, 2025 at 2:24 PM
dlr-en.bsky.social
🚁 New drone test facility unveiled!

As part of the #Flybots initiative, a collaboration with @tu-braunschweig.de, we have constructed a drone cage ⛓️ – a place where unmanned aerial systems can be tested in a safe environment, with no chance of them flying off 🪰
October 23, 2025 at 9:05 AM
dlr-en.bsky.social
📡✈️ Quantum communication takes off!

As part of the QuNET initiative, researchers from DLR and partners have successfully measured quantum channels between a DLR research aircraft and a ground station — a major milestone in quantum-secure communication. 📢
Three researchers kneeling under the research aircraft looking at a laser-optical transmission and receiver system, attached to the underbelly of the plane. A researcher checking the settings on the ion trap system. The DLR research aircraft in its hangar.
October 22, 2025 at 9:52 AM
Reposted by German Aerospace Center (DLR)
exploration.esa.int
👣 One small step…
🌙 Matthias Maurer steps into the future at LUNA, Europe's Moon on Earth
🌍 This @esa.int/@dlr-en.bsky.social lunar surface analogue facility is helping scientists, engineers and astronauts better prepare for our return to the Moon
youtu.be/CLWkrOFH5mQ
LUNA: Europe’s Moon on Earth
YouTube video by European Space Agency, ESA
youtu.be
October 20, 2025 at 3:03 PM
dlr-en.bsky.social
Ram 🐐, Confuse 🌀, Trap 🔒– that’s how we take out unwanted drones!

In the CUSTODIAN project, we're combining expertise from all corners of DLR to detect, assess & neutralise rogue drones. The threat of drones in 🇩🇪 & beyond is on the rise, and we're ready to counter it. 💪
October 20, 2025 at 8:41 AM
dlr-en.bsky.social
Dust devils dancing on Mars! 🌪️

Over 1000 of these speedy whirlwinds were tracked by scientists from Univ. of Bern and DLR using deep learning and 20 years of data from the #HRSC & #CaSSIS instruments. They provide a great insight into the weather, climate & surface conditions of Mars. 🔴🧪
Image of the surface of Mars with a variety of gray lines crisscrossing over it. In the middle of the image is a white wind column casting a shadow on the surface. a map of Mars with colorful arrows pointing at the locations of dust devils tracked in this research. The surface of Mars consisting of orange-colored ground and darker brown spots where dark dust was displaced by wind
October 13, 2025 at 10:11 AM
dlr-en.bsky.social
PLATO’s epic journey from Germany 🇩🇪 to @esa.int’s ESTEC! 🚛 🏗️ 🚢

Too big for standard transport, the PLATO space telescope travelled 900km by country road and giant ship. Now at ESTEC, it’s gearing up for testing – including in Europe’s largest vacuum chamber – to prep for its mission to space! 🌌🔭
October 9, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Reposted by German Aerospace Center (DLR)
esa.int
🌎 🛰️ Check out the first data from the METimage instrument on board EUMETSAT's MetOp-SG-A1 satellite!

This advanced instrument observes clouds, land, sea and ice, providing key insights into weather forecasting, nowcasting, and climate monitoring. eumetsat.int/metimage-del...

📸 @eumetsat.int
Captured between 10:43 and 10:59 CEST on 24 September, METimage’s very first image shows clouds connected with a cold weather front sweeping across central Europe and signs of convective storm activity developing over the Adriatic and central Mediterranean seas. High altitude, wispy cirrus clouds hint to potential turbulence over the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, while thin aircraft contrails are clearly visible over cloud-free western Denmark. Where skies are clear, the Earth’s surface is revealed in fine detail: shimmering lakes can be seen in Türkiye, including the bright white salt flats of Lake Tuz, as well as the green landscapes of the Carpathians and Balkans, and Libya’s Waw an Namus volcanic caldera. Compared with AVHRR’s ~1 km resolution, METimage’s 500-metre view delivers about four times more detail, making it possible to pick out narrow cloud streets, thin valley fog and subtle coastal colour changes with far greater clarity.
October 7, 2025 at 1:26 PM
dlr-en.bsky.social
💛 Explore Mars’ golden-yellow highlands!

This month, our #HRSC 📸 aboard @esa.int’s #MarsExpress takes us on a stunning flight over Xanthe Terra – from the deep Shalbatana Vallis to the rugged Hydraotes Chaos, revealing Mars in all its golden-yellow glory. 🔴✨

📽️: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin
October 2, 2025 at 11:51 AM
Reposted by German Aerospace Center (DLR)
science.esa.int
🆕 The discovery of new complex organic molecules at Saturn's #Enceladus enhances the likelihood that the moon is habitable 🪐

On Earth, these molecules are involved in chemical reaction chains that lead to the more complex molecules essential for life.

Read more 👉 www.esa.int/Science_Expl...
🔭 🧪 ☄️
Scientific illustration showing a cross-section of Saturn’s moon Enceladus. It features three labelled layers: An ice shell at the top, with visible cracks releasing jets of water vapour into space; an ocean in the middle, depicted as a large body of water beneath the ice; a rocky core at the bottom, shown emitting heat that may drive the jets. In the background, Saturn and its rings are visible in space.
October 1, 2025 at 9:10 AM
dlr-en.bsky.social
DLR is going hypersonic! 🚀

For 170 seconds our ATHEAt experimental flight will soar at 50 km altitude – reaching speeds between Mach 8 & 10 (around 12,000km/h!).

Launching from Norway this autumn, ATHEAt will give us insights into the forces 💥 affecting hypersonic craft at low altitudes.
October 1, 2025 at 9:03 AM
dlr-en.bsky.social
🚁 Every second counts in emergencies!🚨

With our #ADELE drone, responders get live images even before arriving – boosting speed, coordination & saving lives.

🤝Partnered with Vodafone & Frequentis, we just completed a successful test with Rostock Fire Brigade. The future is looking up!📡
The ADELE drone equipped with a round camera flying over trees with a blue sky behind it. Two firefighters surrounded by smoke. They are looking at a an image on a handheld tablet computer. The ADELE drone stationary in the grass. The image is zoomed in on the under side of the drone showing a large round camera attached to it. A person in the drone control room, looking over several monitors displaying the drones location and other relevant data.
September 25, 2025 at 10:41 AM
Reposted by German Aerospace Center (DLR)
technology.esa.int
📍🌕 Landing a spacecraft on the Moon with pinpoint precision while relying on ground-based tracking systems is complex and costly. A recent PhD project, co-funded by @esa.int, @dlr-en.bsky.social and OHB explored how we could teach spacecraft to find their own way 🧭🛰️ 👉 www.esa.int/Enabling_Sup...
Future of navigation R&D
September 23, 2025 at 11:21 AM
dlr-en.bsky.social
What will aviation look like in 2070?
Our new DEvelopment Pathways for Aviation (DEPA) 2070 study sheds light on the opportunities and challenges expected in the next fifty years. What did we find out? 🧵
September 18, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Reposted by German Aerospace Center (DLR)
tropos-de.bsky.social
#HALO: 1st #HALOsouth science flight on 11 Sep: preparations began at 5:00 AM, with take-off at 9:00 AM & landing at 16:45. / Ausschnitte aus dem ersten wiss. Flug von #HALO-South am 11.9.: Die Vorbereitungen begannen um 5:00 Uhr morgens, der Start erfolgte um 9:00 Uhr & die Landung um 16:45 Uhr.
September 18, 2025 at 1:14 PM
dlr-en.bsky.social
Earthquakes, extreme weather, accidents – how do we prepare for such devastating events?

We participated in NATO's civil disaster exercise last week to test technologies that help keep people, property and rescue workers safe during emergency situations: www.dlr.de/en/latest/ne...
Two women in a control room during an exercise. The screens showing in front of them show satellite maps and analysis. A shoe with an orange box and wire attached to it, with two women working on laptops in the background.
September 16, 2025 at 8:03 AM
Reposted by German Aerospace Center (DLR)
tropos-de.bsky.social
Do you know how we measure #cloud #droplets from inside the #clouds using the #HALO #aircraft? The #HALOsouth mission is equipped with a unique set of instruments ... / @dlr-en.bsky.social @unileipzig.bsky.social @tropos-de.bsky.social @leibniz-gemeinschaft.de @dfg.de #BMFTR @mpic.de @kit.edu
September 12, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Reposted by German Aerospace Center (DLR)
exploration.esa.int
Today, @esa.int's Columbus lab on the International Space Station circled Earth for the 100,000th time🎉

During that time, we’ve seen:
🧳4.26 billion km travelled
🧪250+ experiments
👩‍🚀16 ESA astronauts
🥼75 m³ of lab space
🕣19,280 shifts run by the Columbus Control Centre

🔗 www.esa.int/Science_Expl...
Columbus: 100 000 orbits and counting
Today, the Columbus laboratory aboard the International Space Station completes its 100 000th orbit around Earth—a remarkable achievement for Europe’s science module in space. Since its...
www.esa.int
September 12, 2025 at 9:46 AM