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Space Operations and Astronaut Training

 

Competence and Innovation for the Way to Space!

DLR Space Operations is the central institution for spaceflight operations in Germany with locations in Cologne, Oberpfaffenhofen and Weilheim. This responsibility includes satellite missions for Earth observation, science and communication missions as well as for the exploration of the solar system and human spaceflight missions. Furthermore, astronauts are trained, space experiments are prepared and sounding rockets are developed and launched from sites around the world. Eventually, DLR works on new technologies, such as on-orbit-servicing in order to master even the most difficult space projects of the future.

In close cooperation with other DLR institutions and together with public and industrial partners, DLR Space Operations plays a major role for spaceflight in Europe. Here, groundbreaking space projects are realised and new ideas for spaceflight of tomorrow are developed. As a versatile interface between technology development, operations and utilisation, DLR Space Operations serves as an important venue for everyone involved in spaceflight and the general public. This is where groundbreaking projects are realised and new ideas for shaping the future of space flight are developed.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Felix Huber
Director Space Operations and Astronaut Training

German Aerospace Center

Space Operations and Astronaut Training

Oberpfaffenhofen-Wessling

Tel.: +49 8153 28-2700

Latest Topics

Matthias Maurer - Cos­mic Kiss

Informationen über die Mission

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Virtual Control Room - Insight into Mars

For the first time since the astronaut mission Apollo 17 in 1972, heat flow measurements will be carried out on another celestial body using a drilling mechanism. The main aim of the experiment is to be able to determine the thermal state of the interior of Mars using thermal flow measurements taken beneath the surface. Models of Mars’ formation, chemical composition and inner structure can be checked and refined on the basis of this data. The measurements from Mars can also be used to draw conclusions about Earth’s early development.

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News

Mat­thi­as Mau­rer ist zu­rück auf der Er­de


Der deutsche ESA-Astronaut Matthias Maurer ist nach knapp sechs Monaten im All und 175 Tagen auf der Internationalen Raumstation ISS wieder zurück auf der Erde. Er landete am 6. Mai 2022 um 00:43 Uhr Ortszeit (06:43 Uhr Mitteleuropäischer Sommerzeit, MESZ) an Bord der Dragon-Kapsel "Endurance" mit seinen Crew-Kollegen Kayla Barron, Raja Chari und Thomas Marshburn - alle NASA-Astronauten - vor der Küste Floridas im Meer. Bild: NASA/ESA-M.Maurer
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04.05.22 - Deutscher Umweltsatellit EnMAP sendet erste Bilder


Seit seinem Start am 1. April 2022 ist der deutsche Umweltsatellit EnMAP gut einen Monat im All und hat jetzt die ersten hochaufgelösten Satellitenbilder geliefert. Nachdem die Mission die "Launch and Early Orbit Phase" erfolgreich abgeschlossen hatte, wurden Stück für Stück die einzelnen Subsysteme des hochkomplexen Hyperspektral-Instrumentes unter Kontrolle des GSOC in Betrieb genommen.
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01.04.22 - Ger­man satel­lite En­MAP launch­es suc­cess­ful­ly


At 18:24 CEST on 1 April 2022, EnMAP, which is about the size of a small car and weighs one tonne, embarked on its journey into space from Cape Canaveral in Florida. It is the largest payload on board a Falcon 9 rocket from US space company SpaceX. EnMAP will record Earth from a distance of 650 kilometres using 242 spectral channels.. Image: SpaceX
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30.03.22 - En­vi­ron­men­tal da­ta for re­searchers world­wide


The Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program (EnMAP) satellite sees the world very differently from the way the people who live there do. The German environmental satellite measures the solar radiation that is reflected by Earth's surface. EnMAP not only captures visible light, but also short-wave infrared. These data allow precise conclusions to be drawn about conditions and changes on Earth's surface. The German Space Agency at DLR in Bonn is leading this unique mission on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. Multiple institutes and facilities at the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) are involved in the preparations for and operation of the mission, as well as scientifically evaluating the data.
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21.03-22 - De­mand­ing work with a breath­tak­ing view


The opening of the hatch on the US Quest airlock of the International Space Station (ISS) on 23 March 2022 at 13:55 CET will mark the start of the most challenging task of German astronaut Matthias Maurer's six-month 'Cosmic Kiss' mission.
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17.03.22- De­ter­min­ing the weight of Earth from space


At first glance, masses appear rigid and immobile. However, this is deceptive because they are constantly in motion. Liquid rock shifts in Earth's interior, water is redistributed in large quantities across the oceans and on the continents, and air masses are constantly in flux. This uneven distribution means that Earth's gravitational field is not constant across the globe. In locations with more mass, the gravitational force is slightly stronger than elsewhere. Since their launch, the satellites of the GRACE satellites on 17 March 2002 and those of the successor mission 'GRACE Follow-On' (GRACE-FO) have been recording these slow movements with great precision.
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16.03.22 - Der Weg zum Mond führt künf­tig über Köln


Astronautinnen und Astronauten, die zum Mond fliegen, sollen zukünftig in Köln ausgebildet werden. Auf dem Gelände des Deutschen Zentrums für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR) beginnt in den nächsten Monaten der Aufbau der Test- und Trainingseinrichtung LUNA. Der nordrheinwestfälische Minister für Wirtschaft, Innovation, Digitalisierung und Energie, Prof. Dr. Andreas Pinkwart hat am 16. März 2022 einen vorläufigen Bescheid zum Beginn des Projekts mit Förderung durch das Land NRW an den Stellvertretenden DLR-Vorstandsvorsitzenden Klaus Hamacher sowie an die DLR-Bereichsvorständin Raumfahrt Dr. Anke Pagels-Kerp übergeben. LUNA ist ein Gemeinschaftsprojekt des DLR und der Europäischen Weltraumorganisation ESA, die in Köln das Europäische Astronautenzentrum (EAC) betreibt.
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02.03.22 - To space from Bre­men, via Hanover and Flori­da


The Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program (EnMAP) satellite, the first hyperspectral satellite developed and built in Germany, landed safely at NASA's spaceport in Florida on 27 February 2022 at 13:05 local time (19:05 CET). It is now being prepared for flight and integrated onto a Falcon 9 rocket inside the hangar of the US space company SpaceX. EnMAP is expected to set off for its target orbit at the beginning of April 2022. The hyperspectral satellite is expected to collect data on the state of our home planet for at least five years. . Image OHB
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02.02.22 - Er­folg­rei­che Tech­no­lo­gie­de­mons­tra­ti­on von V3C
02.02.22 - En­MAP will see our Earth in more than just colour
27.10.21 - Li­ve­stream zum Ra­ke­ten­start von Mat­thi­as Mau­rer
08.10.21 - Er­folg­rei­cher sta­ti­scher Test mit DLR-Be­tei­li­gung
23.04.21 - Ers­ter Eu­ro­pä­er mit SpaceX auf dem Weg zur ISS
23.03.21 - DLR-La­ser­ter­mi­nal im All nimmt Kon­takt mit ja­pa­ni­scher Bo­den­sta­ti­on auf
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