The space flight missions launching from Bremen from 2026 onwards

Bremen is synonymous with international astronautics and is one of Europe's most important aerospace sites. It is here that some of the very latest innovative technologies set off on their journey into space. Some of them will even reach the Moon, as this overview of aerospace missions involving contributions from Bremen, starting in 2026, describes:

Space missions, with critical involvement by Bremen companies, that will soon be launched into space.

2026: European Service Module on board the Artemis missions

It's almost six decades since man first set foot on the moon and our closest celestial neighbour is once again the destination for manned spacecraft – with a substantial boost from Bremen. It is anticipated that astronauts will once again orbit the Moon in the first part of 2026. One year later, NASA's Artemis III mission bring will mankind back to land on the lunar surface. Aerospace specialists from Bremen will make it possible for the crew of the American Orion space craft to reach their goal and return to Earth safely. The European Service Module (ESM) is currently under construction at Airbus Defence and Space in Bremen's Airport City. This module will provide the life support for the Orion capsule's crew. Three more ESMs will be built for future missions. This is the first time in the history of space travel that the US space agency, NASA, has entrusted the construction of such an important part of a major project to a firm based outside of the USA.

2026 and onwards: the Astris kick stage will be launching satellites into their orbits

The Bremen subsidiary of the Franco-German ArianeGroup is also viewing the Moon as the potential target for technical developments. Right from the very earliest days of Europe's Ariane launch vehicle, engineers based at Bremen's Airport have been responsible for the development and construction of every version of this rocket's upper stage. The upper stage of the new Ariane 6 involves a particular challenge: it is being developed in parallel with a new, ground-breaking production facility or, to use a technical aerospace term, "integration". It is the first time that the upper stage of a rocket is being built by an almost fully automated process.

In parallel to starting production, ArianeGroup's teams are working hard on an addition to the upper stage for Ariane 6. The addition of the Astris kick stage will enable satellites that are launched from the upper stage to reach higher positions in orbit. This is a particular bonus for electrically-powered satellites. Although their solar sails give them an almost unlimited lifetime, their low-power drives mean that they take a very long time to reach their allotted positions. This kick stage will also make it possible to launch multiple satellites into different positions in space, one after the other. Astris will also be designed to be able to carry construction material and supplies to the Moon, to build and provide for future lunar stations. ArianeGroup is mass-producing the current upper stages in the new integration hall at the same time as the kick stage design is being refined in the laboratories. Four upper stages were built in 2025. It is now planned to increase output steadily to 11 upper stages a year.

2026: Plato will be seeking out exoplanets

The company OHB System AG, from Bremen, is working on achieving the technical requirements for two spectacular missions into the depths of space, among its other activities. It is the third-largest company in the European space industry. At its site in Oberpfaffenhofen, in Bavaria, Germany, it is working on the "Plato" satellite, as part of a joint project. This project, involving 15 countries, plans to place the satellite far away, behind the Sun (seen from the Earth), where it will search out potentially habitable Earth-like planets in other solar systems, with the help of 26 special cameras.

2026: CO2M will be monitoring compliance with climate-protection promises

OHB System AG also develops and builds satellites that watch over our planet and what is happening on it. As part of the EU Copernicus Earth observation program, OHB is involved in the Copernicus Anthropogenic Carbon Dioxide Monitoring (CO2M) mission. Its special task is to monitor the quantity of carbon dioxide that enters the atmosphere as a result of human activity, as carbon dioxide is so damaging to the climate. This approach is necessary to verify that political promises to protect the climate have been met.

2026: Thanks to Galileo, Europe will have its own independent navigation system

Another satellite system that is currently being worked on at OHB is Galileo, the European navigation system, which is the most accurate system of its type in the world. OHB, which is main contractor for the first generation of Galileo satellites, has developed and built 34 satellites in total. 28 of them have already been launched and six are still on the ground. The satellites orbit the Earth at a height of 23,000 kilometres (just over 14,000 miles), where they bring a huge benefit for us on the ground: The time data and navigation signals they send back can be used by everyone, free of charge and can even be received on a smartphone, unencrypted.

Around 2030: StarLab will replace the ISS space station

At the same time as working on lunar exploration, OHB's Bremen staff are making preparations for developing a new space station. They want to develop a privately-owned space station, called "StarLab", to replace the ISS (International Space Station), in a transatlantic joint venture with the American space technology company Voyager Technologies. Just like the ISS does now, "StarLab" will be available for public research projects, but it is primarily intended to act as a platform for commercial and industrial development projects performed in weightless conditions. Airbus is also providing the American company with support during the initial design and development phase.

2035: Lisa – humanity's greatest ever experiment

OHB is also developing a second satellite system that will expand our cosmic horizon almost beyond our imaginations: "Lisa" will consist of three probes located 2.5 million kilometres apart from each other, orbiting the Sun alongside Earth. The mean linear distance between the formation and the Earth will be 50 million kilometres. Floating freely inside the heart of each probe is a gold-/platinum-coated cube. Highly-specialised instruments measure the exact displacement between the three cubes, to fractions of a millimetre. The experiment is intended to prove the existence of gravitational waves. According to the General Theory of Relativity developed by Albert Einstein a century ago, these waves could distort spacetime, in space. This would minutely affect the displacement between the cubes.