MASCOT Asteroidenlander
Space Technologies are also a “class of its own”, and somewhat different from the aeronautical applications. A strong orientation towards ESA, the framework of ECSS standards, and specific technologies make it senseful to deal with the larger space projects of the Institute by means of a coordinating function across the competences of the departments. A primary theme are lander structures for the exploration of the solar system, both for soft landings on comets and asteroids (such as for the Rosetta Lander “Philae”) and for semi-hard landings on the Lunar or Martian surface. Another large area of work are so-called gossamer structures, i.e. large ultralight structures which can be stowed in a very small volume during launch and then be deployed or inflated in space to achieve their final size and contour. Future applications will be large antennas, reflectors, or solar sails. The third important topic are hybrid material techniques for the application in next-generation launchers, for instance, for the future version of the Ariane 5 upper stage.