DLR
Satellites for Intelsat, European lasercomm launch on Arianespace rocket
The Ariane 5 took off at 3:30 p.m. Eastern from Europe’s Guiana Space Center in South America, carrying the Intelsat-39 communications satellite and the EDRS-C laser relay satellite to geostationary transfer orbits.
Troubleshooting of Mars InSight instrument continues
Engineers are continuing to work to free an instrument on NASA’s InSight Mars lander that remains stuck just below the surface.
Germany begins reusability study to capture rockets in midair and land them with a plane
The Germany space agency DLR is beginning a study this month on a reusable launcher concept that would use a winged first-stage booster captured on descent by an aircraft and towed back to land.
GRACE mission comes to an end
An Earth science mission launched more than 15 years ago has finally come to an end, slightly earlier than previously expected, NASA announced Oct. 27.
NASA prepares to retire GRACE Earth science satellites
An aging German-American Earth science mission will come to an end this fall, months before the launch of a next-generation satellite pair.
Germany’s long-awaited Heinrich Hertz satellite now expected to launch in 2021
Germany’s space agency, DLR, signed a delayed but long-expected contract with Bremen-based satellite manufacturer OHB Systems for an experimental telecommunications satellite that will be used in part by the Bundeswehr, Germany’s Federal Armed Forces.
DLR to fly experiments on Blue Origin’s New Shepard
The German Aerospace Center, Germany’s space agency, will fly two experiments on a suborbital flight by Blue Origin’s New Shepard vehicle later this year as part of an effort to diversify its microgravity research efforts.
OHB aims to cut SmallGEO production time to three years
Spacecraft builder OHB System AG says it is taking steps to rein in the production time for its SmallGEO line of satellites to around three years instead of the seven years or longer the first batches have taken.
Former DLR Diversity Chief Andrea Boese Dies
Andrea Boese, former chief diversity officer at the German Aerospace Center, DLR, who in July assumed a similar position at ESA, died Aug. 29.
Philae Comet Lander Reawakens, Phones Home
Europe’s Philae comet lander, which for unexplained reasons had been silent since June 24, reawakened July 9 for a nearly uninterrupted period of about 20 minutes, sending signals through the Rosetta orbiter, the French and German space agencies said July 10.
DLR Picks George Washington Professor To Succeed Woerner
The German Aerospace Center, DLR, on June 18 said Pascale Ehrenfreund, a professor at the Space Policy Institute in Washington, would be the center’s new executive chair, succeeding Johann-Dietrich Woerner, who on July 1 becomes head of the European Space Agency.
