Aeronautics and space industries
Northern Germany: Aeronautics and space industries in Bremen
Within the space industries and aeronautics sector more than 140 companies and 20 institutes, a workforce of about 12,000 employees, generate more than 4 billion euros per year. Considering the number of residents, Bremen has the highest employment density in the aerospace sector in Germany.
Primary industry leaders are the Airbus Group, Rheinmetall Defence Electronics, OHB and their suppliers. This success is based on the excellent skills of people. A good number of various study and training courses guarantee education and training.
Future-oriented workplaces, especially for highly qualified people, characterize the space industries and aeronautics sector. Cutting-edge research in Bremen supports the industries sustainably in the fields of materials sciences and manufacturing technologies, space systems and research, remote sensing, bionics, robotics and more. Major products from Bremen are the wings of the Airbus aircraft, the Ariane upper stages or the satellite navigation system GALILEO.
The aerospace industry in Bremen is represented by the association AVIASPACE BREMEN e.V.. There you will find all information about companies, institutes, events, trade fairs and a selection of exciting projects.
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Holger Oelze
Aviaspace Bremen e. V.
P +49 (0) 421 220 82 75
Success Stories
Visions for the future of aerospace
From car navigation systems to weather reports - hardly anything works without satellites. They need fuel, but this is often toxic. The Institute of Aerospace Technology at Bremen University of Applied Sciences is researching environmentally friendly alternatives. What the future of space travel could look like.
Learn moreTake-off for Bremen: what makes the city a hub for aerospace expertise
The sky is not the limit. Science, production, development and business all agree on this. Aircraft wings, Ariane rockets, Galileo satellites - Bremen is one of the top locations in the international aerospace industry. Five reasons for Bremen's success story.
Learn moreLife on Mars
Humans on Mars? Still a distant dream for now. Yet, a Bremen science initiative is developing the foundations for sustainable human life on the Red Planet. This affects Earth, too. After all, these technologies could also be pioneering for the Blue Planet.
Learn moreThe Polymath from Horn-Lehe
No can do? No such thing! GERADTS GMBH makes the things other companies can’t even imagine. This is why this engineering firm is so firmly rooted in major European aviation and aerospace projects, and also in a myriad of other sectors.
Learn moreBremen's Economy in Figures: 2024 Statistics
A look at the statistics on Bremen's economy in 2024 reveals: Germany's smallest federal state has a lot to offer. An overview of the industrial and service sectors with the most important current figures.
Learn moreFrom the sun of southern France into the northern German summer: an internship at ECOMAT
What is it like to be a intern at the technology centre ECOMAT? Éva Perrier comes from Montpellier – and quickly finds her feet in Bremen. What she loves about Bremen.
Read more at ECOMATOn the Way to Space
A space rocket that can take off and land like an aeroplane: That is the idea being pursued by the Bremen-based start-up Polaris. Small test models are already flying and "Aurora" is due to take off in 2028. The invention could revolutionise the market, as the spacecraft can be reused up to 200 times - and can take off into space from any airport.
Learn moreWhy Aircraft Designers Are so Interested in Starfish
Bremen's rise to become one of the leading aircraft construction centres in Europe began a hundred years ago with the launch of the "Focke Wulf A 16", the first industrially manufactured aircraft "made in Bremen". Pioneering work is still being carried out in the Hanseatic city today. Starfish also play a role here.
Learn more8 Bremen Companies and Institutes with a Focus on Drones
Drones are inexpensive and versatile. With artificial intelligence, they can operate autonomously – whether in the field or in the warehouse. These eight companies and institutes from Bremen are involved in civilian, airborne drone technology.
Learn more“As a small company, being a member of ECOMAT opens new doors for us”
Gaining a foothold in new sectors and new target groups is often difficult for small companies. Michel Petkovic was lucky enough to achieve this step with his start-up WeserCAD. To achieve this, the company that specializes in 3D printing has become a member of the ECOMAT.
Learn moreFrom the Weser into Space
The new Ariane 6 is due to take off for the first time in summer 2024 and will secure Europe's access to space. A central element of this, the upper stage that carries the "rocket´s brain", comes from Bremen. A look behind the hermetically sealed doors in the airport city shows how the upper stage is being built in the Hanseatic city.
Learn moreBremen is one of Germany’s leading industrial hubs
Bremen is Germany’s sixth-largest industrial hub in terms of revenue. Whether the sector is aerospace, food, automotive, shipping or steel production, Bremen has always been a major player.
Learn moreThe history of aircraft construction in Bremen – Part 2: 1952 – 2024
A century of aircraft construction in Bremen – in the post-war years, the "Airbus" project was emblematic of the history of the aviation industry in Bremen. It has been one of the Hanseatic city's most significant industrial sectors ever since.
See chronologyThe history of aircraft construction in Bremen – Part 1: 1924 – 1945
A century of aircraft construction in Bremen – the story starts in 1924 with the company "Focke-Wulf- Flugzeugbau AG". It marks the beginning of one of the Hanseatic city's most important industrial sectors. In 2024, Bremen is celebrating "100 Years of Aircraft Construction" with a series of anniversary celebrations.
See chronology"The pioneering spirit of the founders is still present in the very DNA of the site"
100 years of aircraft construction in Bremen - an impressive history full of top achievements. Airbus operates the second largest production site in Germany in Bremen on the site of the former Focke-Wulf Flugzeugbau AG. Bremen site manager Joachim Betker takes a look at the past, present and future.
Learn more8 Aerospace Companies from Bremen
Bremen has earned itself the title "City of Space". Some of the most important space projects of the past decades were launched into space with Bremen technology and knowledge. But who is behind them? A look at eight companies from the industry.
Learn moreBremen Reaches for the Stars – 11 Current Aerospace Projects from the Hanseatic City
Reusable rockets, new space stations, shooting down asteroids and our own space port: the future is calling and Bremen's aerospace companies are answering, loud and clear. 11 projects support the drive to conquer space.
Learn moreInteractive Science in Bremen
Science plays a leading role in Bremen: in the laboratories of the university, at one of the more than 50 research institutes or in the green botanika. There are many opportunities for visitors to experience science at first hand.
Learn moreAiming high: Start-ups take off with the incubator ESA BIC Northern Germany
Tailor-made support to successfully bring your own idea to the market - or into space? That's possible in Bremen with the ESA BIC Northern Germany incubation programme. Start-ups from a wide range of sectors can apply. Inge Heydt from the Starthaus explains for whom the incubator is suitable and what is behind it.
Read the InterviewStarting A Career with ECOMAT – How Young Professionals in Bremen Find a Job
Catherine Rau finished her studies at ECOMAT and has now found a job at Airbus in Bremen. So she's now also encouraging other young professionals to consider working in the aviation and aerospace sector in Bremen.
visit ECOMAT websiteGetting Up Close to Aircraft Construction – Behind the Scenes at Airbus in Bremen
Aviation "made in Bremen": The Airbus facility in Bremen extends over 450,000 square metres, or 63 football fields, and has a workforce of 4,100. Industrial performance at the highest level.
let´s fly!Light for the Chancellor and the Sun for Bremen
Anyone flying on vacation with an Airbus will almost certainly come into contact with products from the Bremen-based aviation supplier AES Elektro/Elektronik System GmbH. But they are not only to be found in vacation planes - even German Chancellor Olaf Scholz cannot do without them.
Learn moreTradition meets innovation
The federal state of Bremen is home to approximately 676,000 people on 420 square kilometres. Almost 22,000 companies provide more than 336,000 jobs. We present the strong sectors of Bremen as a business location.
learn moreSpare parts from the printer
The pandemic has proven it: When supply routes do not work and production facilities are at a standstill, urgently needed construction and spare parts can often be a long time coming. The Bremen-based start-up WeserCAD has developed an innovative and fast solution.
Learn moreDriving a hydrogen-powered car through Bremen
How does a hydrogen-powered car work? How do you fill it up? And is it all safe? There's a lot of questions about driving with hydrogen. One of the very first users of this technology has given us an insight into this topic on a tour of Bremen and also shown us just what's happening with this volatile gas in the city.
Learn moreCAE is Training Pilots by the Weser
New in the airport city: CAE-GmbH trains pilots. "We have come to stay," says CAE Vice President European Strategy, Niels Kröning. And is thus continuing a long tradition.
Learn moreA new dimension in metal 3D-printing
Additive manufacturing without any support structures, minimizing distortion and efficient - these characteristics can significantly improve metal 3D printing. The start-up AMSIS is creating the basis for this - and thus getting a hearing in additive manufacturing.
Read moreBremen and Bremerhaven Projects Prioritising Hydrogen
In Bremen and Bremerhaven, the transformation to climate-friendly energy with hydrogen is starting. A conversation with Saskia Greiner and Dieter Voß about current projects.
Learn moreThere is No Machine like This One in the World – and It Comes from Bremen
At up to 5,000 degrees, a new smelter in Bremen produces alloys from high-strength titanium that are in demand worldwide. For the company behind it, this was a long-standing venture that is now paying off.
Learn moreOHB Meets Silicon Valley
"It's basically a win-win situation," says Egbert van der Veen about the collaboration with the Northern Germany Innovation Office, which is supported by Bremeninvest. After one year, the Bremen-based satellite builder draws a positive balance - and wants to take an even bigger step across the Atlantic in the future.
Learn more10 Bremen Companies in the Aviation and Aerospace Sector
It's primarily thanks to companies involved in the aviation and aerospace sector that Bremen is also known as the "City of Space". This article provides an introduction to ten companies in this sector.
Learn moreThe "thinking" 3D printer: machine learning combined with 3D printing for monitoring the quality of components
In sectors where the safety requirements are exceptionally high, such as aviation, manufacturing errors must be prevented at all costs. A project based in Bremen is creating an algorithm that will work as an adjunct to visual inspections.
Learn moreFrom the Weser into Outer Space
In three years, aerospace technology from Bremen will take humans to the Moon. In addition to the propulsion and service module for the "Orion" spacecraft, which is part of the USA's human space flight programme, work is under way on a concept for an autonomous moon rover that will supply the future stations on the Moon.
Learn moreLaunching a career in rocket science
Marcel Hesselmann is a young scientist who is currently researching how using innovative new materials can cut the cost of sending rockets into space. Working as part of the @ALL collaborative project, he's using the facilities at the ECOMAT research and development centre in Bremen to launch his professional career.
Learn moreA Centuries-Old Connection
The Free Hanseatic City of Bremen is composed of two cities, namely the city of Bremen itself (population approx. 568,000) and the port city of Bremerhaven (population approx. 114,000). The two cities are 53 km apart, but together they comprise the German federal state that carries the official designation “Free Hanseatic City of Bremen.”
Learn moreSatellites with anchors
If you need to rotate a satellite in space, you will almost certainly be using technology from Bremen. The design is ingenious – and that is why practically every spacefaring nation on Earth has an important entry in its address book under the letter Z.
Learn moreInternet from space
5G, the next generation of mobile data infrastructure, is waiting in the wings. The research project in Bremen 5GSatOpt aims to use space to expand the mobile data infrastructure to the furthest corners of the earth, with the help of constellations of small satellites.
learn moreECOMAT – a technological milestone
Policies that boost innovation aim to support the ongoing structural change in industrial companies, SMEs and related service providers. Promoting promising technologies is a particularly important part of this. Some technologies feed into each other, ...
Learn more50 years of the Bremen Fibre Institute
Fibre composites have become a permanent fixture in everyday life. The Bremen Fibre Institute (FIBRE) has been working on these materials for five decades, and has gained another strong partner this year in the form of the ECOMAT research centre.
Learn moreNew incubator for space start-ups in Bremen
The ESA Business Incubation Centre (BIC) Northern Germany is a new beacon project for the aerospace sector in Bremen.
Learn moreNew centre for cutting-edge technology ‘made in Bremen’
The ECOMAT research and technology centre opens. Around 500 experts from science and industry will be working side by side on projects in the centre. EcoMaT is the central economic policy initiative for the state of Bremen and an excellent example of successful industrial and innovation policy.
Learn moreSpace exploration takes flight in Bremen
The path into space begins in Bremen. Production on the upper stage of the Ariane 6, the latest generation of Europe’s launch vehicle, is set to start shortly next to Bremen Airport. The launcher is intended to guarantee Europe independent access to space.
Learn moreThe space industry in Bremen: living and working in the Hanseatic city
Nowhere in Germany is bigger in the aerospace industry than Bremen. We spoke to Bremen-based scientists working on the space side of aerospace about their projects, their life in the city, and their tips on where to live and where to visit.
to the personal storiesBringing the universe to Bremen
Every year, the movers and shakers of the space industry gather at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC). From 1 to 5 October, it will be Bremen’s turn to host the event. A team from the Center of Applied Space Technology and ...
Learn more3D printing at Airbus – cutting-edge technology made in Bremen
Airbus is a global trailblazer in the field of 3D printing, and the aerospace company has established a technology centre for this new production method in Bremen. This is one of many reasons why the Hanseatic city has become a hub for 3D printing in Europe.
to the aircraft manufacturerSurveying space
The exploration of celestial bodies, such as Mars, Mercury and the moon, requires detailed geological maps. An international research project is now laying the foundations for this. Bremen-based geologist Dr Angelo Pio Rossi is one of the initiators of the data project.
Learn moreMajor project on the key technology of lightweight construction is taking shape
The construction of the complex new EcoMaT research and technology centre at Airport-Stadt Bremen is at an advanced stage. Prospective tenants include Airbus and Testia, as well as a number of leading medium-sized businesses and scientific institutions. After the topping-out ceremony, work will get under way on the interior of the building.
Learn moreBusiness parks in Bremen – space for individual requirements
Bremen has the right location to suit any company, from the logistics sector at the Cargo Distribution Center (GVZ) to research institutes at the Technology Park and international companies at Bremen Airport-Stadt. Or perhaps you are looking for more of a mix of sectors to stimulate creativity? We can show you the right business park to suit your needs.
Find your matchWomen in Aerospace – an organization promoting women in space industry
Space is not just a man’s business. The global network Women in Aerospace (WIA) aims to increase women’s leadership opportunities and visibility in the space industry – also in Bremen. An interview with Antonella Sgambati und Michela Cantisani, coordinators of WIA Bremen.
Read more on Bremen.deArtificial intelligence made in Bremen
Artificial intelligence isn’t just a matter of computer programming. It’s a challenging question: how can a robot successfully deal with real, unpredictable surroundings? For 30 years, solutions to this problem have been developed at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI). This Bremen-based facility has been so successful that its employees are now founding their own company.
Learn moreBremen Airport-Stadt: where aerospace and business meet
Bremen Airport-Stadt is an international transport hub and a centre of excellence for the aerospace industry and for research and learning. It occupies a leading position among Germany’s airport locations. Here are ten benefits that Bremen Airport-Stadt offers.
Learn moreMoon living
One day, astronauts will live and carry out research on the moon – and even a colony on Mars is no longer the distant utopian dream it once was. But how will people be able to live in an extraterrestrial environment? The Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity (ZARM) at the University of Bremen is working on a solution.
Learn moreSpace tech tours in Bremen
Did you know that Bremen is one of Europe’s most important hubs for space technology? This city is full of surprises! ;-) We have put together a short video to give you an impression of our space tech tour at the Airbus Defence and Space centre.
To the space tech toursStudying aerospace engineering in Bremen
Space technologies have advanced greatly in recent years, leading to increasing demands from the business and research sectors. To meet these requirements, Bremen University now offers unique master’s degrees in Space Engineering and Space Sciences and Technologies.
Learn morePrepare for bake off
If astronauts want to get all the way to Mars one day, they’ll need food supplies for the journey. Part of the solution could be to grow their own grains and bake bread themselves. Bremen start-up Bake in Space is on the verge of making this vision a reality.
Learn moreWhere space and deep sea meet
The research alliance ROBEX is sending robots up active volcanoes and down into the deepest and darkest seas. Working across disciplines, the 120 scientists of the 16 institutes involved are breaking new ground on this project. They have been eagerly waiting to find out what has happened to the TRAMPER diving robot, which has been exploring the deep seas around Spitsbergen for a year. Now they are ready to bring it back.
Learn moreTo boldly go, and safely return – behind the scenes at Ariane Group
The multi-million-mile journey of the Ariane 5 rocket begins in Bremen, while that of Spacelab came to an end here in 1999, after 15 years of service with 22 missions to outer space. Ariane Group in Bremen is the ideal place to experience the history of space travel.
Learn moreAirbus’ site manager Dr André Walter: “For us, digitalisation means making work easier and more efficient”
A great deal of manual labour goes into aircraft construction. Despite this – or perhaps even because of it – Airbus is changing its approach to make increased use of digital technologies. It’s also researching the applications of new manufacturing technologies such as 3D printing. And not a moment too soon, as Airbus’ site manager in Bremen, Dr André Walter, explains in our interview.
Learn more"Bremen has everything that a hub for the space industry needs"
In December 2016 ministers from the European Space Agency (ESA) member states met to determine the roadmap for the European space sector for the years ahead. Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Bremen submitted joint recommendations. In the following interview Dr Peter Vits, Bremen's State Coordinator for the Space Sector, talks about Bremen's strengths and opportunities.
Learn more“50 per cent of the exhibition space has already been reserved”
In 2015 Bremen won the right to host the International Astronautical Congress for the second time, after having successfully held the event in 2003. Its bid was the result of a collaboration between the Bremen regional government and Bremen’s space industry and space research sector. Event partners include the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and the German Aerospace Centre.
Learn more