Unfortunately, the debate regarding the relationship between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Union (EU) continues, although the essential aspects have been clarified and the integration of ESA into the EU is off the table – not just for legal reasons. The myth of Pandora's Box tells the story of how Zeus gave Pandora a box with the instruction that it should be passed on to other people, but never be opened. However, Pandora opened the box, from which vices and bad habits escaped …

Some time ago, in this blog, I wrote about a heated debate concerning a 'cold potato'; back then, I discussed the relationship between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Union (EU). Germany does not support the current efforts to integrate ESA into the EU. We consider an intergovernmental European Space Agency to be necessary for a sustainable way of working. Time has passed, and the 'cold potato' has become a 'dead horse'. It has been clear for some time that this integration is not only illogical, but also unworkable.

The new short-arm human centrifuge was installed in :envihab at DLR Cologne between late February and early March 2013. Installation of the 'heart of :envihab' lasted several weeks. We took advantage of this rare opportunity to take a closer look at the individual stages of the installation (with time-lapse video).

The National Space Symposium has been held annually in Colorado Springs, United States, for 28 years. DLR has been involved for much of this time, contributing aspects of its research and development, and progressing far beyond the role of an 'ordinary member'. A delegation from DLR attended this year's symposium, actively participating by giving talks and taking part in exhibitions.

In contrast to widespread public perception, DESERTEC, the desert electricity project, is not simply an investment programme of 400 billion euros or more where a start is made today on a project that will reach completion in 40 years. DESERTEC is far more about initiating sustainable development.

In addition to having offices in Washington, Brussels and Paris, DLR has now opened an office in Tokyo. To mark this occasion, a small delegation flew to Japan, where its members met with representatives from many institutions. A reception was held, which was attended by guests from Japan and Germany to mark the opening. This function was hosted jointly with the German ambassador, Volker Stanzel, at his official residence. These days in Japan meant a great deal to me, both with respect to the opportunities it brings for DLR and on a personal level, for myself.

The revolutionary SpaceLiner concept offers a unique vision for a high-speed passenger transportation system of the future by seamlessly spanning the boundaries between aviation and spaceflight. Currently under design at the German Aerospace Center, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), the ultra-fast hypersonic spaceplane is designed to transport 50 passengers from Australia to Europe in an unprecedented 90 minutes.

For over 40 years, the US Landsat series of satellites has been delivering multispectral and thermal imaging data of the entire planet at a consistent high quality. As a consequence, the Landsat data archive has become an important tool for Earth remote sensing. It has helped to visualise long-term changes on the ground, to explore the influence of mankind on the biosphere and to manage natural resources.

In my last blog entry, I referred to the preparations for the European Space Agency council meeting at ministerial level, to be held in Naples and the key topics 'the future of ESA', 'launch systems' and 'utilisation of the International Space Station'. Well, now that the conference has ended, it is time to take stock. At this point, I would like to highlight primarily my own personal experience, since the facts and agreed conclusions have already received plenty of attention in the media.

My blog has been quiet in recent weeks; the reason for this is that it has been hectic. Too many appointments and events – from the ILA Berlin Airshow and the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Naples, to internal appointments within DLR – have fully taken up the time allocated to me by Earth's rotation. One particularly important event is the upcoming ESA Council meeting at ministerial level, which will also take place in Naples, on 20 and 21 November 2012. This meeting is being built up as a directional decision-making session dealing with a range of open questions.

This article was originally written for the ATKearney 361° Blog.

The lifestyles of DLR employees are as many and diverse as DLR's research areas – this represents both an opportunity and a challenge. The German Aerospace Center (DLR) needs the best people – both male and female – now and in the future, to maintain its excellence in research and development. Therefore, we at DLR endeavour to create an environment in which employees can fully develop their potential. From my own experience, having had two working parents, I can say that, not only do I believe in the issue of equal opportunity in theoretical terms, but am also committed to it practically.

The DLR Magazine is the most important printed media in DLR’s communication portfolio. In spite of this, or rather, especially because of this, it is now available for tablets such as the iPad and devices running the Android operating system.

DLR got quite a bit of political attention last week, with a steady parade of three Federal ministers, a State minister and two State secretaries. Such contacts are very important for DLR because – rather than give a quantitative balance in terms of "what are you doing with the taxpayers' money?" – we are able to show them the work carried out at our research sites. Unfortunately, the weekend ended sadly with the death of a great man: Neil Armstrong.

Exactly four weeks after the last launch, the next Ariane is, once again, on the launch platform! The final launch preparations are underway for what will be the fourth Ariane 5 launch (VA208) this year from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana. The 'dress rehearsal' took place last Friday, and the Launch Readiness Review was completed successfully on Tuesday. Yesterday, the rocket was rolled out to the launch platform, so nothing stands in the way of tonight’s launch. The Ariane 5 launch window opens at 22:54 CEST and closes 57 minutes later at 23:51 CEST. Those interested can follow the launch on the 'live-stream' provided by Arianespace.

Last week was amazing – the largest ever International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS) was held in Munich. With over 2700 participants from 68 countries, and over 2500 scientific presentations, it was an excellent platform for knowledge exchange and the exploration and discussion of topics related to 'Remote Sensing for a Dynamic Earth'. Some of the highlights of the symposium included ESA's Envisat and upcoming Sentinel missions, the future of Earth observation, and last but not least, DLR's TanDEM-X and TerraSAR-X satellites.

The International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS) is a place for those working in these fields to gather and discuss the current developments and future in a wide variety of perspectives. Why are digital elevation models so important? And why have radar satellites become of great importance to us? Stefan Dech, Director of DLR’s Earth Observation Centre, gives us his views at IGARSS 2012.

TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X are exceeding the expectations of the scientific community. Why exactly? And what comes next? During the IGARSS 2012 symposium in Munich, we were able to speak to Manfred Zink, Project Manager of the Ground Segment of the mission. He is responsible for directing the entire mission, from the close flight formation of the TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X satellites to the creation of the digital elevation model.

As we reach the equator of IGARSS 2012, we have the pleasure of speaking with the IGARSS General Co-Chairs: Alberto Moreira, Director of DLR’s Microwaves and Radar Institute, and Yves-Louis Desnos, Head of Research & Development section & Senior Advisor of EO Science and Applications Department at ESA-ESRIN.

We are still here at IGARSS, giving you more information about 'Remote Sensing for a Dynamic Earth'. We spoke with Marwan Younis, who took some time from an incredibly tight schedule to answer some questions regarding TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X, as well as Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) technologies.

As the Ice Breaker at IGARSS 2012 was starting, we were able to speak with Richard Bamler, Director of DLR’s Remote Sensing Technology Institute. In this webcast, he tells us his views on the importance of remote sensing and its applications.

Some days ago, before the start of IGARSS 2012, we mentioned that we would try to give you a feel for the symposium. In the past few days, we have been talking to people, visiting stands and capturing some of the essence of this 32nd IGARSS symposium, the second one held in Munich.

These days, the International Conference Center in Munich is filled with people from all over the world; some of the faces are new, but many are familiar as well. A great number of experts in Earth observation and remote sensing walk through the exhibition hall and fill the conference rooms. It is great to see so many people prominent in this field, and even more so, to have the chance to speak with them in person. Yesterday, in between the Plenary Session, press conferences and various meetings, we had the honour of interviewing Johann-Dietrich Wörner, Chairman of the DLR Executive Board, who gave us his own perspective on the research areas covered at the IGARSS 2012 symposium and Germany’s contributions. Thank you so much!

DLR scientists had reason to celebrate one month ago – the successful TerraSAR-X mission celebrated its fifth anniversary in space. Today, on 23 July, during the Plenary Session at the International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS 2012) in Munich, the hard work of DLR experts involved in the radar satellite TanDEM-X mission has been recognised. Our DLR colleagues were awarded with the ‘IEEE WRG Baker Paper Award’. This award is given annually to scientists who accomplish extraordinary achievements in the field of electrical engineering and computer science.

Welcome to Munich! The International Congress Center in Munich was buzzing today, and we expect even more activity in the coming days. You can find out about the events taking place via this blog and our various social media channels. The opening of the Symposium will be broadcast live by DLR and ESA; it will be streamed live from here tomorrow, Monday 23 July, between 09:00 and 12:30. This year’s theme is ‘Remote Sensing for a Dynamic Earth’.

Munich is a beautiful city, attracting about 70 million people from around the world every year. Starting tomorrow, the International Congress Centre will be home to scientists from around the globe contributing roughly 2000 papers on the topic ‘Remote Sensing for a Dynamic Earth’. The schedule is filled with exciting presentations, tutorials and poster sessions unveiling the latest achievements in this exciting field. And just as all the attendees will soon be doing, we have packed our bags and are getting ready for this magnificent event.

The DLR’s Advanced Rendezvous demonstration using GPS and Optical Navigation (ARGON) has been successfully executed during the PRISMA mission in the time frame April 23-27, 2012. The ARGON experiment demonstrated a long-range rendezvous to a non-cooperative target by means of angles-only measurements. Starting from more than 30 km distance, the active Mango s/c approached the passive Tango s/c to reach a 3 km safe hold-point within five days of ground-based operations.

Friday the thirteenth. In Paris. Was it a day like any other? No. What seemed like an entirely normal day at ESA, the meeting took an unusual turn. Whether this was an unlucky day or simply a day of perfectly normal chaos is a matter of personal judgement.

The countdown to the International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, IGARSS 2012, has begun - only 6 days remain. This year, IGARSS will be held at the International Congress Centre in Munich from 22-27 July, and with this blog, we will be reporting on all the breaking announcements and important events. We will do this with written entries, images and webcasts - in which specialists in Earth observation and remote sensing will join us.

Alongside the ILA Berlin Airshow and the Paris Airshow at Le Bourget, the Farnborough Airshow, being held at the moment, is the third large aerospace exhibition in Europe. My first visit to this event involved aviation and space to an equal extent. The journey there, access and my schedule presented major challenges, and surmounting these made for an interesting trip, albeit one with a few rough edges.

Late in the evening, just as the launch window opened at 23:36 CEST, the Ariane 5ECA VA207 launched successfully with the EchoStar XVII and MSG-3 satellites on board. About 34 minutes later, the two payloads were injected into geostationary transfer orbits. This was the 49th successive successful launch of an Ariane 5, and the third one this year.