German space programme

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File:Wernher von Braun.jpg (1912–1977) was the technical director of Nazi Germany's missile programme before his migration to the United States.]]

While the idea of spaceflight had been explored by novels before, Hermann Oberth’s book {{lang|de|Die Rakete zu den Planetenräumen}} was influential in propagating the idea of space flight. The book eventually inspired the establishment of the {{lang|de|Verein für Raumschiffahrt}} (Society for Space Travel) in 1927, where amateur rocket scientists collaborated to advance the field of liquid-fueled rocketry.{{cite journal |last1=Hodapp |first1=Martin |title=Germany's Rocket Development in World War II |journal=HOHONU |date=2013 |volume=11 |page=39}} Between the 1930s and 1940s, Nazi Germany researched and built operational ballistic missiles capable of suborbital spaceflight.{{cite book|title=The Rocket and the Reich: Peenemünde and the Coming of the Ballistic Missile Era|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780029228951|url-access=registration|last=Neufeld|first=Michael J|publisher=The Free Press|year=1995|isbn=978-0-02-922895-1|location=New York|pages=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780029228951/page/158 158], 160–62, 190}}

{{Location map+|Germany|width=300|float=right|caption=Locations of space organisations of Germany|places=

{{Location map~|Germany|lat=48.3218|long=10.8354|label=Augsburg}}

{{Location map~|Germany|lat=52.512426|long=13.344104|label=Berlin}}

{{Location map~|Germany|lat=50.635774|long=7.054672|label=Bonn}}

{{Location map~|Germany|lat=52.16|long=10.31|label=Braunschweig}}

{{Location map~|Germany|lat=53.092993|long=8.782549|label=Bremen}}

{{Location map~|Germany|lat=51.42|long=9.86|label=Göttingen}}

{{Location map~|Germany|lat=53.53|long=10.0|label=Hamburg}}

{{Location map~|Germany|lat=52.37|long=9.73|label=Hanover}}

{{Location map~|Germany|lat=50.93|long=11.59|label=Jena}}

{{Location map~|Germany|lat=50.8137|long=6.9611|label=Cologne}}

{{Location map~|Germany|lat=49.1550|long=9.240|label=Lampoldshausen}}

{{Location map~|Germany|lat=53.32|long=13.04|label=Neustrelitz}}

{{Location map~|Germany|lat=48.04|long=11.16|label=Oberpfaffenhofen}}

{{Location map~|Germany|lat=48.47|long=9.11|label=Stuttgart}}

{{Location map~|Germany|lat=52.76|long=10.08|label=Trauen}}

{{Location map~|Germany|lat=47.80|long=11.08|label=Weilheim}}

}}

{{excerpt|German Aerospace Center|only=paragraphs}}

{{excerpt|Institute of Space Propulsion}}

{{excerpt|Columbus Control Centre}}

{{excerpt|European Space Operations Centre|only=paragraphs}}

{{excerpt|German Space Operations Center|only=file|this=This section is}}

{{excerpt|German Space Operations Center|only=paragraphs|hat=no}}

{{excerpt|German Space Operations Center|History|hat=no}}

{{further|German astronaut team|List of German astronauts}}

As of 2024, twelve Germans have been in space. The first German, and only East German, in space was Sigmund Jähn in 1978. Three astronauts – Ulf Merbold, Reinhard Furrer and Ernst Messerschmid – represented West Germany during the time of divided Germany. Merbold made two other spaceflights after Germany was reunified in 1990. He is the only German to have been in space three times.

Thomas Reiter, Alexander Gerst, and Mathias Maurer have made long-term spaceflights. The other five astronauts are Klaus-Dietrich Flade, Hans Schlegel, Ulrich Walter, Reinhold Ewald, and Gerhard Thiele.

{{excerpt|V-2 rocket}}

{{excerpt|TEXUS}}

{{excerpt|Liquid fly-back booster|only=files|this=This section is}}

{{excerpt|Liquid fly-back booster|only=paragraphs|hat=no}}

{{excerpt|SpaceLiner}}

{{excerpt|RETALT}}

{{excerpt|MW 18014}}

File:Helios spacecraft.jpg

{{excerpt|Helios (spacecraft)|only=paragraphs}}

{{excerpt|STS-61-A|only=paragraphs}}

{{excerpt|STS-55|only=paragraphs}}

{{excerpt|STS-55|Mission highlights|only=paragraphs|paragraphs=2|hat=no}}

{{excerpt|Solar Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer|only=paragraphs}}

{{excerpt|ABRIXAS|only=paragraphs}}

{{excerpt|DLR-Tubsat|only=paragraphs}}

{{excerpt|TerraSAR-X|only=paragraphs}}

{{excerpt|Columbus (ISS module)|files=1}}

{{excerpt|Baden-Württemberg 1}}

{{excerpt|LEO (spacecraft)}}

• {{annotated link|French space program}}
• {{annotated link|British space programme}}
• {{annotated link|Chinese space program}}
• {{annotated link|Soviet space program}}

{{reflist|group=nb|refs=

{{refn|group=nb|name=etymology|V-2 rockets were still known as A-4s until September 1944}}

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{{reflist|refs=

{{cite journal |author=M.P. Milazzo |author2=L. Kestay |author3=C. Dundas |author4=U.S. Geological Survey |title=The Challenge for 2050: Cohesive Analysis of More Than One Hundred Years of Planetary Data |journal=Planetary Science Vision 2050 Workshop |volume=1989 |pages=8070 |url=https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/V2050/pdf/8070.pdf |publisher=Planetary Science Division, NASA |accessdate=2019-06-07|bibcode=2017LPICo1989.8070M |year=2017 }}

{{cite book |last1=Bright |first1=Michael |last2=Sarosh |first2=Chloe |title=Earth from Space |date=2019 |publisher=Ebury Publishing |location=Introduction |isbn=9781473531604 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AUF9DwAAQBAJ&dq=mw18014&pg=PT22 |accessdate=2019-06-07 |language=en}}

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• {{cite book |first=Syed |last=Ramsey |title=Tools of War: History of Weapons in Modern Times |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jkk5DAAAQBAJ |year=2016 |publisher=Vij Books India Pvt Ltd |isbn=978-93-86019-83-7}}

• [http://www.german-times.com/when-neil-armstrong-buzz-aldrin-and-michael-collins-flew-to-the-moon-50-years-ago-they-used-german-technology/ German technology in 1969]
• [https://m.dw.com/en/why-isnt-germany-taking-over-the-moon/a-50908906 German technology and the Moon October 2019]

{{Politics of outer space|state=collapsed}}

Category:Science and technology in Germany