The Landing and Exploration Technology department researches and develops system-related technologies for landing and return devices and probes for planetary exploration. This also includes the qualification of corresponding subsystems and support for the operational phase.
ROBEX
Illustration of a potential lunar infrastructure, i.e. the interaction of several scientific devices on the moon.
The department focuses specifically on the conceptual design and construction of mechatronic components, mechanisms and energy-absorbing elements that interact with the planetary surface or atmosphere. Examples of this are the department's contributions to the development and construction of the asteroid lander MASCOT, to the construction and qualification of the HP3 instrument for the American Mars mission InSight or the development of the landing system for the RLV demonstrator Callisto. Contributions to international missions are also made as part of third-party funded contracts.
The department thus complements the institute's "classic" system technologies with applications and missions on extraterrestrial bodies. The department's methodological expertise lies in the field of multi-body dynamics for the numerical analysis of such technologies, such as the landing and touchdown dynamics of landers. The landing and mobility test facility (LAMA), as well as associated test stands and the exploration laboratory, are operated for corresponding experimental investigations and qualification tests.
