Mission Space

Space missions have a remarkably strong impact on technological and scientific development on Earth. The number of research-oriented satellites in near-Earth orbit is increasing rapidly, as are missions aimed at exploring planetary bodies—whether through flybys, orbiters, or landers that deploy instruments on surfaces and in some cases even return samples to Earth. Crewed missions play a crucial complementary role: in combination with robotic systems, they open up an additional dimension of space exploration and contribute human creativity and decision-making capabilities to complex exploratory processes.

Human-led missions expand the boundaries of life under the extreme conditions of space, drive scientific and technological breakthroughs, and enable research that can only be conducted under conditions of reduced gravity. This context offers a wide range of research and innovation opportunities. First, space serves as a unique research environment for generating new, fundamental knowledge. Second, the growing commercialization of spaceflight—particularly through private actors—has significantly improved the efficiency of traditional programs run by governmental space agencies such as NASA or ESA, while substantially reducing payload costs, thereby making future missions far more economically viable. Third, a new global race for the exploration of the Moon is underway, which may, in the long term, serve as a strategic hub for crewed missions throughout the solar system.

Within this context, Munich, and in particular its universities, first and foremost LMU, plays a strategically important role, especially with regard to the scientific as well as technological preparation of future space missions.

• Prof. Dr. Dieter Braun (Regular Member, Biophysics, LMU)
• Prof. Dr. Barbara Ercolano (CAS Board, Astrophysics, LMU)
• Prof. Dr. Stephan Hartmann (Regular Member, Philosophy of Science, LMU)
• Prof. Dr.Kevin Heng(Regular Member, Astrophyisk, LMU)
• Prof. Dr. Kirsten Jung (CAS Board, Microbiology, LMU)
• PD. Dr. Elena Kronberg (CAS Young Center, Plasma Physics, LMU)
• Prof. Dr. Yan Lavallée (Regular Member, Volcanology, LMU)
• Prof. Dr. Ralf Ludwig (Applied Physical Geography, LMU)
• Prof. Dr. William Orsi (Geomicrobiology, LMU)
• Prof. Dr. Silke Robatzek (Regular Member, Genetics, LMU)
• Prof. Dr. Herwig Stibor(Ecology, LMU)
• Prof. Dr. Oliver Trapp (Organic Chemistry, LMU)