Planetary Research

The Institute of Space Research participates in almost all programs of the European Space Agency ESA planetary science missions, is a key partner in exoplanet research missions, and contributes instruments and data processing expertise to missions of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency JAXA and the French space agency CNES.

Planets and Moons

BepiColombo

The ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission will arrive at Mercury in late November 2026. On board: the BELA and MERTIS instruments, built and operated under the responsibility of DLR's Institute of Space Research. During the fifth Mercury flyby in December 2024, MERTIS obtained the first mid-infrared images of the planet ever taken.

EnVision

ESA’s EnVision mission will explore why Venus evolved so differently from Earth. The DLR Institute of Space Research contributes to the mission with the VenSpec-M spectrometer and the VenSpec Central Control Unit, and coordinates the VenSpec instrument suite to investigate Venus’ surface, atmosphere and their interactions.

JUICE

In 2012 ESA selected the JUpiter ICy moons Explorer (JUICE) as the first L-class mission within the Cosmic Vision Programme. This mission will first explore Jupiter, its magnetosphere and satellites in orbit around Jupiter before going finally into orbit around Ganymede, the largest satellite in the solar system.

Mars 2020 and ExoMars

NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover landed in Jezero Crater on 18 February 2021. Rosalind Franklin, previously known as ExoMars 2022, was scheduled to launch in 2022.

Mars Express

Mars Express was the first ‘flexible’ mission of ESA’s long-term science exploration programme. The spacecraft was launched on 2 June 2003 and arrived on 25 December 2003 with successful orbit insertion.

Mission Martian Moons eXploration (MMX)

To be launched in October 2026 and inserted into Martian orbit in 2027, the Martian Moons eXploration mission (MMX) is a JAXA mission to Phobos and Deimos investigating the origin of the two Martian moons.

VERITAS

Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy (VERITAS) is a NASA Discovery mission under the leadership of JPL. 

Exoplanets

CHEOPS – CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite

CHEOPS is a European exoplanet mission with German involvement in both science and engineering. CHEOPS studies known planetary systems using ultra-high-precision photometry. The date enables researchers to determine the radii of the planets with great accuracy, describe their interior structure in greater detail and identify additional planets in the system.

PLATO – Searching for a second Earth

In early 2027, PLATO (PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars) will begin its search for Earth-sized planets. Its stated aim is to find Earth-like planets orbiting a Sun-like star within the habitable zone. These could include planets on which life has developed or could develop.

Small Bodies

Comet Interceptor

Comet Interceptor is the first mission selected in ESA’s F-class programme. The mission’s primary science goal is to characterise, for the first time, a dynamically new (long-periodic) comet or interstellar object, including its surface composition, shape, and structure, and the composition of its gas coma and plasma environment.

Hayabusa2/Hayabusa2#

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Hayabusa2 asteroid sample return mission was launched to the km-sized C-class asteroid (162173) Ryugu on 3 December 2014 and arrived on 27 June 2018.

Hera

Hera is the European component of the Asteroid Impact Deflection Assessment project (AIDA), a joint effort between ESA and NASA. The project intends to demonstrate the feasibility of modifying the orbit of an asteroid with a kinetic impactor.

Lucy

Lucy is a NASA Discovery mission successfully launched on 16 October 2021. The mission will explore for the first time the regions of the Jupiter L4 and L5 libration points, home of the Jupiter Trojan population. Trojans are trapped in these regions by a 1:1 orbital resonance with Jupiter, and therefore represent a population that is dynamically stable and isolated from other small body populations.

Psyche

Psyche is a NASA discovery mission to the metallic asteroid (16) Psyche. The launch was delayed by NASA until October 2023. Arrival at the main belt asteroid is now planned for 2029.

Experiments on the ISS

BioSigN

The main objectives of BioSigN (BioSignatures and habitable Niches) are to support future planetary exploration missions to Mars, Enceladus, Europa or Titan by a set of science experiments to be performed on the ISS.

Finished Missions

InSight

NASA’s Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) mission to Mars was launched on 5 May 2018 and landed in ‘Homestead Hollow’ in the Elysium region on 26 November 2018. InSight is the first geophysical observatory on Mars.

Rosetta

The Rosetta mission, launched in March 2004, was one of the most ambitious endeavours of European spaceflight. It carried 11 instruments and the Philae landing module with 10 experiments.

Dawn

NASA's Dawn mission was launched on 27 September 2007. It was designed to study two large bodies in the asteroid belt in order to address questions about the formation of the Solar System.