Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) is looking to the future lunar missions a control center for this is located in Oberpfaffenhofen near Munich. There, a German Aerospace Center (DLR), is now one of the control centers of the international space station ISS. “We absolutely want to have the lunar control center,” Söder told Wednesday.Space Summit“in Oberpfaffenhofen. DLR board member Walther Pelzer argued that the site was also used as a control center for other future missions.
At the same time, Söder called on the federal government to European space agency ESA to support more. And Germany should set itself higher goals: “We may not have to Cape Canaveral settle here with us, “Söder said ahead of the US spaceport.” But a small spaceport, at least for some smaller areas, would be an ambition. “
Söder wants a space station – Esa boss praises Bavaria as a location
ESA chief Josef Aschbacher praised the diverse activities in Bavaria Science, research, economics and industry: “Bavaria is a space power.” Söder later resigned Hightech-Agendaunder which many professorships were created, additional money for the space sector – he called the sum 50 million euros.
The US space agency NASA wants to send people back to the moon in a few years with its “Artemis” program. There is currently one unmanned mission expected – but the start had to be postponed several times due to various problems. Esa aims to complete the “Artemis” program by the end of the decade for the first time also European bring to the moon.
The two German astronauts Matteo Maurer And Alexander Gerst meanwhile I hope that in a few years they can both go to the moon and not just one. “Why can’t we both fly?” Maurer said. Germany could afford to make this claim. However, they both also stressed that it is important first and foremost that there are lunar missions again.
Germany should become a space power: astronauts speculate on lunar flight
It shouldn’t be over for Europeans after three flights, Maurer said. “We want to fly to the moon, stay thereto do research there. “Also in Antarctica initially it was just a research group – today it exists large stations, this also makes sense. “And that’s how it will develop on the moon.” Gerst had recently said it looks like this in three missions placed for Europeans to give. Seven astronauts are currently eligible for this.
“You can ask any astronaut: the moon is obviously a fascinating target,” Gerst said Wednesday in Oberpfaffenhofen. This applies to the astronauts themselves, but also beyond. Ultimately, then, it’s not primarily about who’s flying or what country it’s from. “That we fly back to the moon, that’s the important thing, that we do research there, “he pointed out.” The moon can tell us a lot about the Earth itself. It is almost one open history book for the first billion missing years that we cannot explore on Earth because the rocks have all disappeared, “he explained.
