iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

And a first, in collaboration with ESA: a few minutes after lift-off, our Falcon 20E research aircraft followed the rocket's exhaust plume to test how rocket emissions can be measured in the atmosphere.

DLR's Falcon 20E research aircraft set off from Kiruna Airport to track the rocket's exhaust plume

001

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

On board: alloys solidifying in tiny furnaces, a miniature microscope for studying cells, generators that turn heat into electricity – plus four experiments built by teams of early-career researchers.

In the days before launch, researchers integrate their experiments into standardised modules

110

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

The DLR sounding rocket MAPHEUS-17 launching from the Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden. Credit: SSC Space

100

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

MAPHEUS-17 has lift-off! 🚀 Our sounding rocket launched from Esrange in Sweden on 1 October and took a payload of experiments to just under 300 kilometres, giving them around seven minutes of microgravity. Learn more: www.dlr.de/en/research-...

dlr.de

The MAPHEUS project

MAPHEUS® is a sounding rocket programme of DLR. It serves as a central platform for conducting experiments in the materials and life sciences, as well as for technology testing in microgravity conditi...

150

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Itching to work on some #Inktober artwork? Join @cnes.fr's #MMXtober with daily art challenges to do with MMX and Idefix now through launch day, 19 October! Follow along with us, CNES and JAXA all month for inspiration as we get ready for the mission to set off on its journey to Mars and Phobos.

170

Reposted by German Aerospace Center (DLR)

ESA Technology @technology.esa.int · 01/10/2026

🤘 The fifth space metal lands on Earth, this time including miniature thrusters 🔥 Made by @esa.int’s metal 3D printer on the International Space Station, this sample was designed in collaboration with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social. 👉 www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed...

Gloved hands holding a metal part 3D-printed on the International Space Station

0277

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

🌔 For long-stay Moon missions, astronauts will need more than food-in-a-tube… so maybe they can grow fresh vegetables? 🥦🍅 DLR is working with NASA and the Canadian Space Agency to start planning for a space greenhouse demonstrator to grow 'space plants'. Learn more: www.dlr.de/en/latest/ne...

071

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

The rover itself is also the product of collaboration. Idefix was created by various DLR institutes, as well as CNES and external contributors. Designing it during the COVID pandemic presented challenges to working together, but also let them take advantage of new remote working skills.

031

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Idefix is a demonstration of the power of teamwork – within DLR and with our friends around the world 🤝 Its job within the MMX mission is to scout the surface of Phobos before the spacecraft lands to collect samples and bring them back to Earth. 🌍🧪

1141

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Next stop, Bremerhaven – via the Kiel Canal. Once fitted out with sensors, automation and alternative propulsion systems, MODULARIS will test new maritime technologies at sea, with its home port in Kiel.

051

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

From keel-laying to launch in around four months: shipyard staff and DLR worked side by side to get MODULARIS ready.

141

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

After months of construction, our MODULARIS seagoing technology platform touched water for the first time last week in Flensburg. The hull is complete – next it heads to Bremerhaven for fitting-out. 🧵

161

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Learning more about the origins and effects of moonquakes will expand our understanding of the Moon and support future lunar missions, so scientists are looking at options to study them in space and down here on Earth – including at our LUNA Hall in Cologne.

071

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

But there’s also something mysterious happening deep inside the Moon that we don’t yet understand, as Maria Richter from DLR’s LUNA Hall explains ⬆️.

172

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Shake, rattle and roll – on the Moon🌘 Earthquakes aren’t unique to Earth. 'Moonquakes', however, happen for different reasons than here at home. Without plate tectonics, the Moon shakes because of: 🌍Earth’s gravity 🗜the Moon is shrinking! ☄️meteoroid impacts 🌡️temperature changes between day and night

1162

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

🛏️ 🚆Is this Europe’s future night train? Europe is experiencing a night train renaissance. In the ALISA project, we are reimagining their design: lightweight, modular, capacity increased by 40%, improved comfort and privacy, step-free access and convertible from seat to bed, day to night.

Europe's night train, reimagined
Meet ALISA – our concept for the future of long-distance rail.

Same train, day or night
Seats convert to beds, step-free access, 40% more capacity – all without adding extra load.

Comfort, privacy and choice
From solo cabins to family compartments – ALISA is designed for how people want to travel.

190

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Mars has two moons, Deimos and Phobos: small, lumpy, cratered rocks that look more like asteroids. Scientists still aren't sure how either got there: captured asteroid, or debris from a giant impact on Mars? DLR's Stephan Ulamec breaks down the mystery, and why it matters for MMX and Idefix®.

071

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Early results already show a strong match with real-bird data – a big step towards testing that's more reproducible and uses fewer animals overall.

060

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Before a plane or engine gets certified, it must survive a bird strike. This is tested by firing bird remains (not live birds) from gas guns. We're building an artificial bird dummy to replace that – no birds harmed in our tests. 🪶✈️

1185

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

The topics include: 🚇 Remote-controlled and automated rail operation ⚙️ Novel bogies for less noise and wear 🚺 Gender-inclusive public transport design 🌡️ Climate control on trains 📻 Precise communication, positioning and distance measurement 📱 Public transport planning and software Read more:

dlr.de

DLR at InnoTrans 2026

At InnoTrans, the leading international trade fair for rail and transport technology in Berlin, DLR will present the latest projects from its rail research. From 22 to 25 September 2026, innovative so...

062

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

🛤️ All aboard the InnoTrans2026! DLR will present its latest projects from rail research at InnoTrans2026. InnoTrans2026 will take place from 22 to 25 September 2026 in Berlin.

140

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

🌟The event was initiated by euROBIN, the European network of excellence coordinated by DLR. The aim is to secure Europe's competitiveness and technological sovereignty while addressing societal challenges.

030

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

🤖 15 of the world's most advanced AI-based robots took the stage at the European Parliament in Brussels last week. Our humanoid Rollin' Justin showed off its skills as a household assistant, alongside drones, quadrupeds and industrial systems.

182

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Around the turn of 2028/2029, MMX will release Idefix into free fall towards Phobos from a height of approx. 40 metres. It will be the first wheeled rover to drive on a body with gravity under a thousandth of Earth's. The countdown is on – 46 days to go 🚀

070

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

MMX is ready for launch! 🚀🛰️ JAXA recently unveiled the completed spacecraft, with the DLR/CNES Idefix rover mounted between its landing legs. Roughly the size of a crate of drinks, Idefix weighs just 25 kilograms. 🤏

1154

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

📸 Image 1: NASA/Frank Michaux Image 2: NASA/Lockheed Martin/DLR Image 3: Science Advances Image 4: DLR

030

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

The DLR-led MARE experiment is also the first study to measure radiation risk in the female body beyond low Earth orbit – a key step towards safer, long-duration crewed missions to the Moon and Mars. 🚀 ℹ️: www.dlr.de/en/latest/ne...

140

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

🌕 New results from our MARE experiment! The AstroRad protective vest could reduce an astronaut's radiation dose by up to nearly 60% during a strong solar storm. ☀️ This was tested by flying two radiation measuring phantoms, Helga and Zohar, around the Moon and back on NASA's Artemis I in 2022.

181

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

🧑‍💻 The project was led by DLR with FKFS Stuttgart, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and @uniulm.bsky.social. Next: a test fleet will be trialled in Braunschweig, Germany, from mid-2027, complementing public transport. 👀

040

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

🏎️Meet U-Shift: a modular vehicle concept developed at DLR. A U-shaped, automated electric Driveboard pairs with interchangeable capsules for passengers or cargo. In U-Shift II, researchers built a new automated prototype and demonstrated centimetre-precise capsule docking. 🚐⚡

171

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

DLR's Center for Satellite Based Crisis Information (ZKI) turns this into maps updated several times a day, showing burnt area extent, fire severity and how a fire develops over time – for any region worldwide. 🗺️🔥 Read more about it here: www.dlr.de/en/research-...

dlr.de

Fighting wildfires with cutting-edge technology

Wildfires pose a serious threat to nature, the economy and society worldwide. They destroy forests, endanger public safety, threaten biodiversity and cause immense ecological and economic damage.

041

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

🔥🌍Watching wildfires from orbit – and helping crews on the ground respond faster. DLR's Fire Monitoring System uses MODIS data from NASA's Terra-1 and Aqua-1 satellites, and the Sentinel-3 OLCI, to track burning areas almost in real time. 🔍

172

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

🧑‍🚀 Lava tubes could one day shelter astronauts from radiation and extreme temperatures on the Moon. And water ice, if present, could supply drinking water, oxygen and even rocket fuel.

040

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

🌔 What's hiding beneath the lunar surface – and how do we find it? That's the question behind the NEPOS project. DLR and @lmu.de are testing seismic methods on Lanzarote, where underground lava tubes have Moon-like structures – building on earlier trials in the LUNA hall.

150

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

DLR leads the international PLATO consortium and built its readout electronics and data-processing systems. 🌌 PLATO will scan hundreds of thousands of stars for Earth-sized planets from the L2 Lagrange point. ☀️ ℹ️: www.dlr.de/en/latest/ne...

000

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

030

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

PLATO's ready to go! 🛰️ The spacecraft has successfully completed its electromagnetic compatibility tests at ESA's Maxwell test facility 🇳🇱 to check that its electronics all work together without interference. ✅ It has now passed all the necessary tests ahead of its launch in March 2027. 📸: @esa.int

281

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

[2/2] * DFVLR stands for Deutsche Forschungs- und Versuchsanstalt für Luft- und Raumfahrt, or German Research and Test Institute for Aviation and Space Flight in English.

020

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

[1/2] Half a century of wind, wings and data! 💨✈️ On 30 June 1976, the then DFVLR* (today's DLR) and the Netherlands Aerospace Centre launched DNW, the German-Dutch Wind Tunnels foundation. 50 years later, DNW has helped perfect icons like the A380, Eurofighter and F-35. 🎉

140

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

📸Image 3: An illustration of Hayabusa2, carrying the German-French MASCOT lander, on its previous 3200-million-kilometre journey to asteroid Ryugu. Credit: © DLR

020

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

📸 Image 2: Torifune (in the yellow rectangle) spotted from 7 million kilometres away on 20–21 June 2026, moving in the direction of the arrow. Credit: ©JAXA, Chiba Institute of Technology, Japan Spaceguard Association

120

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

📸 Image description & Photo credit: Image 1 - Close-up of Torifune: ©JAXA, The University of Tokyo, Chiba Institute of Technology, Tokyo University of Science, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Paris Observatory, Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias

110

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

🧑‍💻DLR is part of the Hayabusa2♯ science team – helping to analyse data from the flyby that is crucial for future asteroid deflection via ‘kinetic impact’.

110

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

🛰️On 5 July, Japan's Hayabusa2♯ flew closely past a half-kilometre asteroid, Torifune, at 18,000 km/h. The goal: to develop technology precise enough to deliberately deflect an asteroid threatening Earth – should we ever need to. 🪐

184

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

The valley: ~1000 km long, 25 km wide, formed 3.8 billion years ago by water, then ice. It is more than twice the length of the Grand Canyon! 🪐

030

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Mamers Valles is one of a minority of non-Latin names on Mars. It comes from Oscan, a language spoken in southern Italy around the 5th century BC to at least the 1st century AD. Its speakers, the Osci, were considered crude barbarians by Greeks & Romans.

171

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

The skies are getting busier – and AI is entering the control tower. DLR's LOKI project spent 4 years building AI systems pilots and air traffic controllers actually trust. The results? Human and digital controllers together handled up to 25% more traffic than current sector limits. 🛫

040

German Aerospace Center (DLR) @dlr-en.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

🚨When disaster strikes, coordinating emergency response isn’t simple. To change that, 16 DLR institutes are collaborating on RESITEK. Project member Konstanze Lechner gives insight into the test day in Ahrweiler – drones, autonomous vehicles & robotics, feeding a situational picture for responders.

050