Minister Dorothee Bär announced bold plans for Germany: the country intends to outpace its European competitors and send its astronaut to the Moon, possibly as early as 2028!
On Saturday, April 18, Germany's Minister for Research, Technology and Space, Dorothee Bär, made a sensational announcement in a podcast by Politico: the first European astronaut to travel to the Moon will be a representative from Germany. Two outstanding candidates are currently being considered for this honorable role. They are 49-year-old scientist, geophysicist, volcanologist, and experienced astronaut Alexander Gerst, as well as 56-year-old astronaut and engineer Matthias Maurer, known for his participation in the SpaceX Crew-3 mission.
Tense Negotiations and Ambitious Deadlines
Dorothee Bär does not hide the fact that the path to this decision was not easy. She mentioned the complex and at times tense negotiations with the European Space Agency (ESA), as other European space powers, such as France and Italy, were also actively vying for participation in such a prestigious mission. Minister Bär considers 2028 to be a quite realistic timeframe for carrying out this grand lunar mission.
NASA's Plans for Returning to the Moon
Interestingly, the American space agency NASA is also targeting 2028 for its next historic step. They plan to execute a crewed landing on the Moon, which will be the first such event since 1972. This coincidence of timelines could mean an exciting decade for space exploration.
