Moon and Mars in sight: New control center planned for astronautic spaceflight

Gateway Lunar Space Station (artistic depiction): Impression of the Gateway Lunar Space Station. The space station in lunar orbit is intended to serve as a habitat, fuel, and research center for astronauts exploring our Moon as part of the Artemis program. The Human Exploration Control Center (HECC) will be responsible for operating three modules of the Gateway: the communication system to the lunar surface HLCS, the living and working module I-HAB, and the propulsion module ESPRIT. (Credit: ESA)

On the way to the Moon: depiction of an Orion spacecraft from NASA's Artemis program. A central part of the Orion spacecraft is the European Service Module (ESM), which is built in Germany by the European Space Agency (ESA) on behalf of NASA. It includes the propulsion system for Orion and supplies power through four solar generators. Additionally, it regulates the climate and temperature inside the spacecraft and stores fuel, oxygen, and water supplies for the crew. (Credit: © NASA, Image montage: DLR)

Handover of the funding decision at the DLR site Oberpfaffenhofen: From left: Josef Aschbacher, ESA Director General, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla, Chair of the DLR Executive Board, Dr. Markus Söder, Bavarian Prime Minister, and Dr. Anke Pagels-Kerp, DLR Department Head for Space. (Credit: DLR (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0))

– The Human Exploration Control Center (HECC) will enable the operation of astronautic and robotic missions to the Moon and Mars in the future.
– For the construction of the Moon control center HECC, Bavaria's Prime Minister Dr. Markus Söder presents a funding notice of 58 million euros to the DLR.
– Focus areas: Spaceflight, Moon, Mars, Exploration

For the astronautic spaceflight of tomorrow, a new control center will be established at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Oberpfaffenhofen: the Human Exploration Control Center (HECC). In the future, both astronautic and robotic missions to the Moon and Mars will be operated from HECC. The new infrastructure will further strengthen the Bavaria site. In cooperation with European partners, the control center will also significantly contribute to securing national and European independence in spaceflight. The Free State of Bavaria is funding the construction with 58 million euros. Additionally, DLR is investing 20 million euros from the institutional basic funding from the federal and state governments and is responsible for implementing the development work for the Moon and Mars missions at HECC.

On February 4, 2026, Bavaria's Prime Minister Dr. Markus Söder will present the funding notice for the construction of the new control center to the DLR at the Oberpfaffenhofen site – received by DLR Executive Board Chair Prof. Dr.-Ing. Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla, DLR Spaceflight Operations Division Head Dr. Anke Pagels-Kerp, and Director of the DLR Space Flight Operations and Astronaut Training Facility Prof. Felix Huber.

"DLR stands for knowledge exchange with public stakeholders and transfer to industry. Through their consistent implementation, extensive and internationally recognized expertise in spaceflight control and astronaut training has been built up at the Bavarian site Oberpfaffenhofen of DLR for decades," explains Prof. Dr.-Ing. Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla, Chair of DLR. "With today's handover of the funding notice amounting to 58 million euros by Prime Minister Dr. Markus Söder, the future of spaceflight control at DLR begins. Especially robotic exploration within the framework of international cooperation and as support for astronautic missions will play an increasingly central role in the new Human Exploration Control Center HECC."

Federal Minister for Research, Technology, and Space, Dorothee Bär, states on the occasion of the planned establishment of HECC: "With the Human Exploration Control Center, the future European center for robotic and astronautic exploration is being created here in Oberpfaffenhofen. The federal government and the states are moving forward together. The expansion of our national competencies in spaceflight control is a significant contribution by Germany to Europe's sovereignty in space."

From a Bavarian perspective, Prime Minister Dr. Markus Söder emphasizes: "Bavaria's gateway to the stars is coming. The Free State, DLR, and ESA form a strong community. With innovation and pioneering spirit, we promote research, freedom, and the future. Bavaria is investing 58 million euros for a new building and five million euros for the development of a gateway in orbit and in an AI project to support astronauts. The Moon is our springboard into space – and perhaps someday the stopover to Mars. From the Moon, real-time monitoring of robots, autonomous energy systems, and permanent living and working in space can be explored. This is the most exciting adventure of our time. It also has tangible effects on our lives on Earth: numerous new technologies and jobs are emerging in Bavaria as part of the Space Valley."

"Spaceflight has long been a vital economic and technological factor. With the new Human Exploration Control Center, we bring future technology to Bavaria, secure highly qualified jobs, and lay the groundwork for future missions both from the government and for commercial purposes. Not least thanks to the foresighted funding by the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, DLR in Oberpfaffenhofen has stood for outstanding expertise in spaceflight for many years. We are now building on this strength. Bavaria once again demonstrates that high-tech, industry, and research go hand in hand here," adds Bavaria's Minister of Economic Affairs, Hubert Aiwanger.

Prepared for future demands

The Human Exploration Control Center will be established at the DLR site in Oberpfaffenhofen as part of the National Space Operations Center (GSOC). It is based on the successful operation of the Columbus module of the International Space Station (ISS). The existing infrastructure at GSOC will therefore be expanded, and an additional building will be constructed. It will accommodate up to 200 employees, a Moon control center with its own clean rooms, and multi-mission rooms that enable the parallel operation of various missions. High-security areas with separate server and control rooms will ensure that the facility is capable of handling increasingly demanding operational tasks in the future. Furthermore, the GSOC team is developing new operational and deployment concepts for Moon and Mars missions.

In particular, the HECC will support the operation of the Gateway Lunar Space Station on the European side. To this end, GSOC is already developing operational procedures for the international habitation and work module I-HAB (International Habitation Module), a central unit of the Gateway. HECC will assume operational responsibility for a total of three modules. These include, besides I-HAB, the communication system to the lunar surface HLCS (HALO Lunar Communication System), and the propulsion module ESPRIT (ESPRIT Refueling Module, ERM). The Gateway is planned to be constructed during this decade and will orbit around the Moon as the next outpost of humanity in space. With the return to the Moon, the Artemis program also aims to prepare future astronautic missions to Mars.

Stopover to Mars

In the long term, the HECC will also be responsible for astronautic missions beyond the Earth-Moon system. For example, missions to Mars have a signal travel time of up to 40 minutes to Earth, making real-time operation impossible by conventional means. To address this, GSOC at DLR is already developing AI-based solutions such as the assistance system METIS (Mars Exploration Telemetry-driven Information System), which will enable autonomous or semi-autonomous operation of spacecraft in the future.

With long-term support from the European Space Agency (ESA), the HECC will be established as a European control center for astronautic and robotic exploration. Funding from the Free State of Bavaria and DLR's investments now ensure that the technological and infrastructural foundations are laid at the DLR site in Oberpfaffenhofen. Construction is planned to begin in 2028, and operation of the Human Exploration Control Center is expected to start in 2030.