German Aerospace Centre (Cologne)

 German Aerospace Center (DLR), aerospace industry, space agency

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The German Aerospace Centre (German: Deutsches Zentrum für Luft und Raumfahrt, DLR) is Germany's national research centre for aeronautics and space. Its extensive research and development work is integrated into national and international cooperative ventures. As Germany's Space Agency, the German federal government has given DLR responsibility for the forward planning and implementation of the German space programme as well as international representation of Germany's interests.

Aeronautics and space make substantial contributions to the way we live today. Aviation guarantees our global mobility and satellites enable worldwide communication. Remote sensing generates data about our environment, while the exploration of space leads to new knowledge about the origin and development of the Solar System, its planets, and, hence, about the creation of life.

Moreover, key industries, including materials technology, medicine and software engineering, all profit from innovations made by DLR in the fields of aeronautics and space.

DLR’s mission thus comprises:

exploration of the Earth and the Universe
research aimed at protecting the environment
development of environmentally-friendly technologies to promote mobility, communication and security.
DLR’s research portfolio ranges from fundamental research to innovative development of the applications and products of tomorrow. In this way, DLR contributes the scientific and technical know-how that it has gained, thus enhancing Germany’s industrial and technological reputation. DLR operates large-scale research facilities for the center’s own projects and as a service provider for clients and partners. It also promotes the next generation of scientists, provides advisory services to the German government and is a driving force in the regions centred on its various locations.

Approximately 5 100 people work for DLR; the center has 27 institutes and facilities at eight locations in Germany: Cologne (headquarters), Berlin, Bonn, Brunswick, Goettingen, Lampoldshausen, Oberpfaffenhofen and Stuttgart. DLR also has offices in Brussels, Paris and Washington, D.C.

The DLR budget for in-house research and development work and other internal operations amounts to approximately €450 million, of which one-third comes from revenues earned by DLR. DLR also administers the space budget of the German government, which totals some €750 million.