Jena, 29.04.2026. When NASA flies to the moon, high-tech from Thüringen is mandatory on board. During the „Space Night“ in Jena, Jena-Optronik CEO Peter Kapell emphasized the essential importance of the local industry for international space missions.
- Event: Space Night in Jena
- Focus: Role of Thüringen in NASA’s Artemis moon missions
- Key Person: Peter Kapell (Managing Director of Jena-Optronik)
- Background: Precise space technology enables navigation in space
Thüringen Sensors as Eyes in Space
The current space programs, especially the Artemis missions of the USA, have an ambitious goal: the return of humanity to the moon and the preparation of future Mars missions. However, without technology from the Saale-Holzland-Kreis, spacecraft like the Orion capsule would be flying in the dark. In a recent interview for the Thüringen Space Day, the Managing Director of Jena-Optronik GmbH, Peter Kapell, put it in a nutshell: „Without Thüringen, America won’t get to the moon“.
The star sensors developed and manufactured in Jena are indispensable for orientation and navigation in deep space. They permanently scan the starry sky and use this to calculate the exact flight path and orientation of the spacecraft. This precision work from Ostthüringen makes the safe navigation to targets, such as the moon, possible in the first place.
Background: Jena as the Cradle of Space Optics
The technology city of Jena looks back on a long history in the field of precision mechanics and optics. What once began in the 19th century with pioneers like Carl Zeiss and Ernst Abbe has developed into a state-of-the-art cluster for aerospace technologies. Jena-Optronik GmbH is now one of the world market leaders in equipping satellites and spacecraft with attitude control sensors. A large part of commercial and scientific satellites worldwide rely on the measuring instruments produced in the workshops on the outskirts of Jena.
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Jena-Optronik CEO: „Without Thüringen, America won’t get to the moon“
Transparency Note: This article was created automatically, editorially reviewed, and expanded with AI support.