Ernst Messerschmid
German - (DLR)
Retired
Date of Birth: May 21, 1945
Age: 79
Ernst Willi Messerschmid (born May 21, 1945) is a German physicist and former astronaut. From 1978 to 1982, he worked at the DFVLR (the precursor of the DLR) in the Institute of Communications Technology in Oberpfaffenhofen on space-borne communications. In 1983, he was selected as one of the astronauts for the first German Spacelab mission D-1. He flew as payload specialist on STS-61-A in 1985, spending over 168 hours in space.
Space Shuttle Challenger / OV-099 | STS-61-A
National Aeronautics and Space Administration | United States of AmericaKennedy Space Center, FL, USA
Oct. 30, 1985, 5 p.m.
Status: Success
Mission:
STS-61-A was the twenty-second space shuttle flight and ninth for Space Shuttle Challenger. It was a scientific spacelab mission funded entirely by West Germany. The payload operations were controlled from the German Space Operations Center as opposed to the regular NASA centers.
Low Earth OrbitThe German Aerospace Center is Germany's Center for aerospace, energy, and transportation research. Their main work is as a contributor to the ESA. They have done work both in tandem with the US on Space Shuttle and the ISS, and also with other European Nations on missions like Space Lab and Mars Express.
Falcon 9
SpainSat NG I
Launch Complex 39A - Kennedy Space Center, FL, USAFirst of two new-generation satellites built by Airbus to provide secure communications to the Spanish government, its allies, and various internatio…
GSLV Mk II
IRNSS-1K (NVS-02)
Satish Dhawan Space Centre Second Launch Pad - Satish Dhawan Space Centre, IndiaThis is a replacement satellite for the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System. The constellation will provide India with an alternative to GPS …
Falcon 9
Starlink Group 12-7
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USAA batch of 21 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.
Falcon 9
Starlink Group 11-6
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USAA batch of 23 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.
Long March 3
TJSW-14
Launch Complex 2 (LC-2) - Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of ChinaChinese classified satellite claimed to be for communication technology test purposes. Actual mission not known.
