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Dlr

All articles tagged with #dlr

space13 hours ago•73 min saved

Desert-lizard inspired rover wheels enable sand-swimming on Mars

German VaMEx researchers are developing a Mars-exploration rover system with curved, desert-lizard-inspired wheels that can 'swim' through sandy terrain, testing stability on dunes and open ground. The effort, led by the University of Würzburg with the German Space Agency (DLR) Bremen and the University of Bremen, aims to create autonomous, heterogeneous robot swarms to explore Valles Marineris on Mars. While tests show stable sand mobility and the generation of sinusoidal tracks, researchers note the need for software-driven control refinements to manage slippage and sinking, advancing mobility for future robotic (and crewed) Mars missions.

via Space|

#bio-inspired-mobility #dlr #mars-rovers

technology14 days ago•8 min saved

Europe Bets on a Winged, Partially Reusable Heavy-Lifter to Rival Starship

DLR researchers propose the RLV C5—a winged, partially reusable European heavy-lift able to place 70+ tonnes in orbit using a SpaceLiner-style booster recovered by aircraft, achieving a payload fraction of about 74%. SpaceX’s Starship, already flying, targets full reusability with ~59 t to orbit today and potential upgrades to ~115 t reusable or ~188 t expendable. The paper frames RLV C5 as an incremental, cost- and risk-efficient path for Europe to gain independent access to super-heavy lift, leveraging existing concepts, while acknowledging Starship’s larger scale and ongoing development. It’s a strategic choice rather than a direct rivalry.

via SciTechDaily|

#dlr #europe #heavy-lift

space3 months ago•4 min saved

Europe sketches winged RLV C5 as an alternative to Starship

A German Aerospace Center analysis of SpaceX's Starship estimates current fully reusable payload around 59 tonnes to LEO, with next‑gen versions potentially reaching ~115 t reusable or ~188 t expendable. The paper also outlines an European option, the RLV C5, pairing SpaceLiner's winged booster with an expendable upper stage and mid‑air recovery by a large aircraft, delivering about 70 t to orbit with ~74% of its mass going to payload. It’s presented as an intermediate, Europe‑led path rather than a direct competition to Starship, which has real‑world flight history but still faces full reusability engineering challenges.

via Universe Today|

#dlr #heavy-lift #rlv-c5