Jena Lokal - Local News, Events & Culture
Your update on city life, tips, and upcoming events in Jena.
Jena, September 26, 2026 – The new ‘Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope’ has been in space for a few weeks, tasked with providing crucial insights into exoplanets and dark matter. Technology from Thuringia is playing a key role in the telescope’s orientation: Jena-Optronik, a company specializing in space technology, has supplied high-precision star trackers for the mission.
A European Vega-C rocket successfully launched into space on Tuesday, carrying the FLEX mission, which was significantly co-developed by research institutions in Thuringia.
Jena, September 13, 2026 – Featuring high-precision optics from Jena, the ESA Earth observation mission FLEX is scheduled to launch on September 15, 2026, from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana. The satellite aims to monitor plant photosynthesis directly from an orbit at an altitude of approximately 814 kilometers.
The European Earth observation satellite FLEX is preparing for its launch into space. To analyze photosynthesis and the health status of plants worldwide from an altitude of approximately 815 kilometers, the European Space Agency (ESA) is relying on high-precision technology from Jena.
Jena, July 20, 2026. Progress in space exploration has a downside: the increasing accumulation of debris on the Moon and in its orbit. Research technology from Jena, installed in probes such as Athena, also contributes to the issue of remnants left on the Earth’s satellite after missions conclude.
The Thuringian space company Jena-Optronik has been honored in the USA for its outstanding performance as a supplier. The US technology group Northrop Grumman presented the sensor experts with the “Global Supply Chain Supplier Excellence Award for Strategic Excellence.”