DLR
The German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, DLR) is Germany's national research center for aeronautics, space, energy, transport, and security, with approximately 10,000 employees at 30 locations across Germany.
- Founded
- 1969
- Headquarters
- Cologne, Germany
- Ownership
- Subsidiary of Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres
- Employees
- 11,786as of 2024
Quick Facts
About DLR
The German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, DLR) is Germany's national research center for aeronautics, space, energy, transport, and security, with approximately 10,000 employees at 30 locations across Germany. Founded in 1969 and headquartered in Cologne, DLR operates research aircraft, wind tunnels, simulation facilities, and Germany's primary satellite control center in Oberpfaffenhofen. In space, DLR manages German participation in ESA programs including Ariane rocket development, the ExoMars mission, and ISS research.
The agency develops remote sensing satellites (TerraSAR-X, TanDEM-X), planetary science instruments, and reentry capsule technology. DLR also operates ESOC (European Space Operations Centre) facilities and coordinates Germany's space surveillance capabilities. The agency's annual budget is €1.701 billion (2024), funded jointly by the German federal government and its 16 states.
Products and product lines
| Product | Line | Note |
|---|---|---|
| German Space Agency at DLR | Programme office | The roughly 350-person national space agency function hosted within DLR and based in Bonn; implements Germany's space strategy and manages German contributions to ESA and EUMETSAT. |
| Ariane 6 | Launch vehicle programme | Germany funds around 21% of the Ariane 6 programme, its second-largest national contribution after France's 55.3% share. |
| EnMAP | Earth observation satellite | German hyperspectral Earth-observation satellite managed by DLR's Space Agency, launched in April 2022, resolving 230 spectral bands for environmental monitoring. |
| Heinrich Hertz (H2Sat) | Communications satellite | DLR-led technology-demonstration communications satellite for the German government, launched 5 July 2023 on Ariane 5's final flight — Germany's first dedicated comms satellite in over two decades. |
| Idefix rover | Planetary rover | Small rover jointly developed by DLR and CNES to ride on JAXA's MMX mission to Phobos, expected to depart at the end of 2026. |
| European Astronaut Centre / LUNA facility | Astronaut training facility | ESA's astronaut training centre in Cologne, co-located with DLR, including the LUNA lunar-analogue facility used to prepare for future Moon missions. |
Timeline
- 2023 Germany's Heinrich Hertz communications satellite launches on 5 July aboard Ariane 5's final flight. [source]
- 2024 A static-fire test of the DLR-backed Rocket Factory Augsburg's RFA One first stage explodes at SaxaVord Spaceport on 19 August, destroying the stage and damaging the launch mount. [source]
- 2024 DLR reports 11,786 employees and total funding of €1.701 billion for the year, with just over half coming from federal and state governments. [source]
- 2026 Artemis II, whose ESA crew trained partly at DLR's Cologne-based European Astronaut Centre, splashes down on 11 April after a crewed lunar flyby. [source]
- 2026 DLR's HAP-alpha solar-powered stratospheric platform targets its first low-altitude flight. [source]
- 2026 The DLR-CNES Idefix rover is set to launch aboard JAXA's MMX mission to Phobos at the end of the year. [source]
Team
- Anke Kaysser-PyzallaChair · source
Signals
- Verification
- Verified 2026-09-09
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Frequently asked about DLR
Quick answers to the questions readers most often search for.
- When was DLR founded?
- DLR was founded in 1969 in Germany.
- Where is DLR headquartered?
- DLR is headquartered in Cologne, Germany.
- What does DLR do?
- The German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, DLR) is Germany's national research center for aeronautics, space, energy, transport, and security, with approximately 10,000 employees at 30 locations across Germany. Founded in 1969 and headquartered in Cologne, DLR operates research aircraft, wi…
- What sector does DLR operate in?
- DLR works in space agency, Research and Aerospace.
Sources
The structured fields on this page (founding year, location, sector, status, listing) and the profile text are drawn from the sources below. How profiles are drafted and checked is described in our methodology.
- Official website (dlr.de)
- Company LinkedIn page
- Wikidata / Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-09-04
- DLR: German Space Agency at DLR · retrieved 2026-09-09
- Wikipedia: EnMAP · retrieved 2026-09-09
- Wikipedia: Heinrich Hertz (satellite) · retrieved 2026-09-09
- Wikipedia: Rocket Factory Augsburg · retrieved 2026-09-09
- Wikipedia: European Astronaut Centre · retrieved 2026-09-09
- CNES: MMX Idefix rover to carry messages from Earthlings to Phobos (6 Aug 2026) · retrieved 2026-09-09
- Wikipedia: Ariane 6 · retrieved 2026-09-09
Data Accuracy Notice: Information about DLR is compiled from publicly available sources including company websites, press releases, regulatory filings, and industry reports. Data is reviewed periodically but may not reflect the most recent developments.