Abstract DGP2026-117

The DLR-MUSC: 30 years of support, operations and realization of exploration missions - and now, what's the future?

Biele, J. (1), Knapmeyer-Endrun, B. (1), Ulamec, S. (1), Diefenbach, A. (1), de Vera, J.-P. (1)

(1) Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V. (DLR) - German Aerospace Center RB-MUSC Space Operations and Astronaut Training RB | Microgravity User Support Center MUSC | Linder Höhe 29a | 53117 Cologne | Germany

In Cologne the DLR-MUSC has one control room from where scientific experiments are operated on the ISS supporting the national and international PIs. On the other hand it has a second control room used for operating payloads during space exploration missions with its main relevance supporting planetary research. In this respect MUSC has a long history on actively participating in space exploration missions. The MUSC-teams have actively helped to create, design, build, test and operate contributions to these international exploration missions, typically sub-spacecraft (landers, rovers, etc.) for missions to small bodies. Here we present a short overview and some lesson learned.

With more than 30 years of system knowledge (a prominent example is the ESA Rosetta/Philae mission), the know-how to operate (both short- and long-lived) surface elements and with numerous science contributions, we as a team at MUSC are in a unique position to continue in a new era and to shape the future of new space science operation challenges and chances.

For the upcoming plethora of lunar missions as foreseen by ESA, NASA, PPP etc., we outfit and operate the joint DLR/ESA LUNA facility where lunar surface operations can be tested in an analog environment. Presently, the operation of rovers and long-term, observatory-type stations like seismometers is our focus but MUSC is also open to enlarge its activities to support lunar experiments similar as done in Low Earth Orbit, particularly on the ISS.

We conclude with an outlook for planetary science in Germany - in these uncertain times, we advocate very strongly the idea that the planetary science community in Germany, ideally coming together at DGP, formulates and endorses a "Decadal survey" as a clear programmatical guideline for our national science steering and funding bodies.