From space to airports: Highlights from the latest DLRmagazine

Ellen RaneboEllen Ranebo
  2 November 2026

Here are some highlights from the latest edition of German Aerospace Center’s (DLR) Tiny robots that repair the blades of aircraft propellers, without taking them apart. Satellites measured by their environmental footprint. And an honest look at DLR’s own past.

That’s just some of what’s inside the latest DLRmagazine, and we’re proud to be the team behind the English edition.

Highlights from Issue 180

Precise as a surgeon: the cover story shows how DLR researchers use ultra-precise robot arms to inspect and repair engines, with the aim of servicing them without dismantling them.

What does sustainability look like in space? On page 20, researcher Joséphine Koffler explains how life cycle assessments reveal the environmental footprint of satellites, tracing the data behind every individual component.

Inside the airport: the double-page infographic on pages 32–33 shows how DLR’s research helps airports connect people, markets and ideas.

Looking back, honestly: on pages 50–57, DLR examines its own history and that of its predecessor organisations, including their involvement in the war economy and the use of forced labour under the Nazi regime, and what this means for ethics in science and technology today.

Download Issue 180 or subscribe to get it delivered, for free!

(Banner image credit: DLR) 

EJR-Quartz
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