German Aerospace Center (DLR)

Captured between 10:43 and 10:59 CEST on 24 September, METimage’s very first image shows clouds connected with a cold weather front sweeping across central Europe and signs of convective storm activity developing over the Adriatic and central Mediterranean seas. High altitude, wispy cirrus clouds hint to potential turbulence over the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, while thin aircraft contrails are clearly visible over cloud-free western Denmark. Where skies are clear, the Earth’s surface is revealed in fine detail: shimmering lakes can be seen in Türkiye, including the bright white salt flats of Lake Tuz, as well as the green landscapes of the Carpathians and Balkans, and Libya’s Waw an Namus volcanic caldera. Compared with AVHRR’s ~1 km resolution, METimage’s 500-metre view delivers about four times more detail, making it possible to pick out narrow cloud streets, thin valley fog and subtle coastal colour changes with far greater clarity.

🌎 🛰️ Check out the first data from the METimage instrument on board EUMETSAT's MetOp-SG-A1 satellite!

This advanced instrument observes clouds, land, sea and ice, providing key insights into weather forecasting, nowcasting, and climate monitoring. eumetsat.int/metimage-del...

📸 @eumetsat.int

Xanthe Terra on Mars – a journey across the 'golden-yellow land' A new video takes Mars fans on a flight from the highland region of Xanthe Terra, down onto the Chryse Planitia lowland plain and back up to the mysterious 'chaos terrain' The film was created using d...

ℹ️Read more: www.dlr.de/en/latest/ne...

💛 Explore Mars’ golden-yellow highlands!

This month, our #HRSC 📸 aboard @esa.int’s #MarsExpress takes us on a stunning flight over Xanthe Terra – from the deep Shalbatana Vallis to the rugged Hydraotes Chaos, revealing Mars in all its golden-yellow glory. 🔴✨

📽️: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin

Scientific illustration showing a cross-section of Saturn’s moon Enceladus. It features three labelled layers: An ice shell at the top, with visible cracks releasing jets of water vapour into space; an ocean in the middle, depicted as a large body of water beneath the ice; a rocky core at the bottom, shown emitting heat that may drive the jets. In the background, Saturn and its rings are visible in space.

🆕 The discovery of new complex organic molecules at Saturn's #Enceladus enhances the likelihood that the moon is habitable 🪐

On Earth, these molecules are involved in chemical reaction chains that lead to the more complex molecules essential for life.

Read more 👉 www.esa.int/Science_Expl...
🔭 🧪 ☄️

As we move to more sustainable and reusable space transport♻️, re-entering Earth’s atmosphere at hypersonic speeds is one of the biggest challenges. With ATHEAt, we’re approaching these re-entry speeds to better understand the forces at play – and how to protect future spacecraft from them. 🚀

DLR is going hypersonic! 🚀

For 170 seconds our ATHEAt experimental flight will soar at 50 km altitude – reaching speeds between Mach 8 & 10 (around 12,000km/h!).

Launching from Norway this autumn, ATHEAt will give us insights into the forces 💥 affecting hypersonic craft at low altitudes.

DLR 5G drone delivers live emergency scene images before rescuers arrive Every second counts for emergency services and rescue personnel in the event of a forest fire, traffic accident or natural disaster. Yet at the start of an operation, precise information about the sit...

ℹ️ www.dlr.de/en/latest/ne...

The ADELE drone equipped with a round camera flying over trees with a blue sky behind it.

Two firefighters surrounded by smoke. They are looking at a an image on a handheld tablet computer.

The ADELE drone stationary in the grass. The image is zoomed in on the under side of the drone showing a large round camera attached to it.

A person in the drone control room, looking over several monitors displaying the drones location and other relevant data.

🚁 Every second counts in emergencies!🚨

With our #ADELE drone, responders get live images even before arriving – boosting speed, coordination & saving lives.

🤝Partnered with Vodafone & Frequentis, we just completed a successful test with Rostock Fire Brigade. The future is looking up!📡

Future of navigation R&D

📍🌕 Landing a spacecraft on the Moon with pinpoint precision while relying on ground-based tracking systems is complex and costly. A recent PhD project, co-funded by @esa.int, @dlr-en.bsky.social and OHB explored how we could teach spacecraft to find their own way 🧭🛰️ 👉 www.esa.int/Enabling_Sup...

DLR looks to 2070 – significant carbon dioxide reductions possible despite doubling of air traffic DLR has presented a comprehensive analysis of future development trajectories in aviation with its DEPA 2070 study. The project sought to systematically evaluate the technological, economic and societal impacts of prospective aviation developments over a period of 50 years.

Curious to get into the details? Check out a summary article and and the full report on the DLR website: www.dlr.de/en/latest/ne...

The study also looked at the economic and societal effects of aviation. It found that the global gross added value of aviation could double by 2070, and the number of people employed in the sector would increase to 37 million, from 17 million today.

Despite expected growth in global air traffic, reductions in emissions are possible – of approximately 23% per passenger kilometre under a conservative scenario and up to 89% under a more progressive scenario, where early use of hydrogen-based and battery-electric propulsion systems is prioritised.

What will aviation look like in 2070?
Our new DEvelopment Pathways for Aviation (DEPA) 2070 study sheds light on the opportunities and challenges expected in the next fifty years. What did we find out? 🧵

#HALO: 1st #HALOsouth science flight on 11 Sep: preparations began at 5:00 AM, with take-off at 9:00 AM & landing at 16:45. / Ausschnitte aus dem ersten wiss. Flug von #HALO-South am 11.9.: Die Vorbereitungen begannen um 5:00 Uhr morgens, der Start erfolgte um 9:00 Uhr & die Landung um 16:45 Uhr.

Two women in a control room during an exercise. The screens showing in front of them show satellite maps and analysis.

A shoe with an orange box and wire attached to it, with two women working on laptops in the background.

Earthquakes, extreme weather, accidents – how do we prepare for such devastating events?

We participated in NATO's civil disaster exercise last week to test technologies that help keep people, property and rescue workers safe during emergency situations: www.dlr.de/en/latest/ne...

Do you know how we measure #cloud #droplets from inside the #clouds using the #HALO #aircraft? The #HALOsouth mission is equipped with a unique set of instruments ... / @dlr-en.bsky.social @unileipzig.bsky.social @tropos-de.bsky.social @leibniz-gemeinschaft.de @dfg.de #BMFTR @mpic.de @kit.edu

Columbus: 100 000 orbits and counting Today, the Columbus laboratory aboard the International Space Station completes its 100 000th orbit around Earth—a remarkable achievement for Europe’s science module in space. Since its...

Today, @esa.int's Columbus lab on the International Space Station circled Earth for the 100,000th time🎉

During that time, we’ve seen:
🧳4.26 billion km travelled
🧪250+ experiments
👩‍🚀16 ESA astronauts
🥼75 m³ of lab space
🕣19,280 shifts run by the Columbus Control Centre

🔗 www.esa.int/Science_Expl...

🥳PLATO, @esa.int's planet-hunting space telescope, has arrived at their ESTEC facility in the Netherlands, after its successful integration in Germany in June.

We're looking forward to the next steps, when its solar panels and sunshield are fitted ahead of the planned launch in 2026! 🔭 #Exoplanets

#HALOsouth: #survival suit fit #check, an essential step before #HALO #South #flights over the remote #SouthernOcean.
1st science flight from #Christchurch is scheduled for 10 Sep (local time)! / @dlr-de.bsky.social @tropos-de.bsky.social @unileipzig.bsky.social / #TwoNationsOneClimate #NewZealand

Prof. Mira L. Pöhlker, principal investigator of the #HALOSouth project, takes us inside the vision of this #HALO mission across the #SouthernHemisphere's skies to uncover how #aerosols, #clouds, and #climate are interconnected. @dlr-en.bsky.social @tropos-de.bsky.social @unileipzig.bsky.social

A fuel cell system located inside the BALIS test field facility.

An outside view of the BALIS test facility in Empfingen: a one-story building with 5 large doors on its front, and an arrangement of pipes and vents on top.

Schematic depiction of the BALIS test field, and how it would theoretically function inside an aeroplane.

The ⚡power⚡ of clean energy!

Our BALIS project hit a major milestone: both the electric motor and fuel cell system surpassed a 1 MEGAWATT output! 🔋 Powered by green hydrogen, this tech could mean CO₂-free mobility for ships, trucks & planes. We’re on our way to climate compatible transport! ✈️🌱

ℹ️: www.dlr.de/en/latest/ne...

Atomic oxygen is key to atmospheric chemistry 🧪 and affects satellite lifespans by corroding materials like aluminium and plastic. 🛰️ OSAS-B’s high-precision data will aid climate research, space weather forecasting, and future satellite mission planning!

The OSAS-B in the gondola of the balloon in the stratosphere, with the Earth behind it. (Credit: Dorothy project)

The gondola of the stratospheric balloon carrying the OSAS-B on the ground.

Big news from the edge of space! ✨🎈

Our OSAS-B instrument just made the first-ever high-precision measurements of atomic oxygen at 31 km altitude – from a balloon! In collaboration with @cnes.fr and CSA, the balloon was successfully launched from Canada as part of the #StratoScience2025 campaign!

The UpLift airplane during testing. Visible are the plane, shaker legs and staff running the tests.

✈️✨ Big milestone for DLR’s D328® #UpLift! Our flying test lab for #sustainableaviation just successfully completed a ground vibration test. This helps us predict flight behaviour and fast-track eco-friendly upgrades. One step closer to climate-compatible skies! 🌱🛫

ℹ️: www.dlr.de/en/latest/ne...

Researchers of #MainzUniversity are involved in the HALO-South mission over the Southern Ocean near New Zealand 👇

Read more at 👉 www.dlr.de/en/latest/ne...

Sharing the Same Playground? An Analysis of the Private Sector's Role in Tech Diplomacy This article takes the emergence of tech diplomacy as the motivation for an investigation into shifting relationships between traditional diplomatic actors and non-state actors. The observation that ...

💡 Curious to learn more about #TechDiplomacy ❓
Read more in the paper "Sharing the Same Playground? An Analysis of the Private Sector's Role in Tech Diplomacy" by Katharina Höne from our member @dlr-en.bsky.social Projektträger 👇
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Not all dogs fetch sticks…🐕 some fetch martian samples 🔴

Meet @esa.int's robot dog Spot, who is helping to test how astronauts command robotic teams for future missions to the Moon and Mars 🌌🚀.

Happy #InternationalDogDay ✨

HALO-South hunts trace gases in clean air How will the atmosphere and clouds react to declining emissions in the coming decades? What aerosols are present over the Southern Ocean and where do they come from? To answer these and other question...

Partnered with @tropos-de.bsky.social‬, we use high-tech instruments & satellite data to track ice nuclei, aerosols & trace gases in the southern clouds. 🌦️ Together this data will help improve #climate models – preparing us for a low-emissions future! 🌍

ℹ️ www.dlr.de/en/latest/ne...

The HALO research aircraft flying through a cloudy sky.

Two DLR researchers preparing the Cloud Imaging Probe (CIP), mounted on the outside of the HALO research aircraft.

An image showing cloud phase measurements over the Southern Ocean, taken by the Himawari-9 JAXA satellite in 2024. A red line shows the planned HALO research flight around New Zealand.

✈️ HALO-South Takes Flight!

Our #HALO research aircraft is heading down south!🧭 Starting this September, HALO will fly over the Southern Ocean – one of the cloudiest and cleanest regions on Earth. A rare look at unpolluted skies!
#HALOSouth #AtmosphericResearch #CleanAir