What does space have to do with life on Earth? These Berlin researchers are turning their attention to distant celestial bodies. By looking into space, we can deepen our knowledge of Earth.

• Dr. Nozair Ashraf Khawaja (Freie Universität Berlin): Life could theoretically exist not only on planets, but also on their moons. Khawaja wants to simulate these conditions on Earth and thus explain how life-giving material could be created. He is receiving prestigious EU funding for this project.
• Dr. Maximilian Hamm and Prof. Dr. Heike Rauer (Freie Universität Berlin): It was not the fault of these two researchers and their team that the lunar probe from the US company Intuitive Machines overturned in February. The radiometer from the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and Freie Universität Berlin would have been ready for measurements. However, the private mission “IM-2 Athena” failed during landing, and the probe was unable to hop across the surface of the Earth's satellite as planned. Nevertheless, Berlin is and remains a space travel hotspot.
• Prof. Dr. Enrico Stoll (Technische Universität Berlin): Enrico Stoll heads the Department of Space Technology at the Technische Universität Berlin. With the help of his predecessors, the department has already launched more than 30 mini artificial Earth satellites into space – a record for a university. He is currently developing an adhesive technology that he hopes will help remove space debris from Earth's orbit.

They were all featured today in the Tagesspiegel (October 10, 2025) as part of the series “The 100 Most Important Heads of Berlin Science.” More in the Tagesspiegel (T+, in German).