The instrumentation suite at the Planetary Laboratories department (PLL) of the Institute of Space Research - DLR

The Planetary Laboratories department (PLL) combines a wide and highly complementary range of laboratory setups. We offer laboratory techniques as well as environmental chambers that cover almost all bodies in the solar system and many beyond. This range of techniques available in one research institution is unique in Europe if not the world. The PLL scientific staff is composed of worldwide leading experts for planetary spectroscopy under extreme temperature conditions, especially for Venus and Mercury surfaces. Furthermore, we are leading / participating in a wide range of planetary missions (ESA, NASA, JAXA). Our expertise and the equipment available at PLL are perfectly fitting to study the habitability within the solar system and beyond. Our staff is highly experienced with handling of extraterrestrial samples, like Apollo samples, a Luna24 sample, 3 Ryugu grains (allocated to PSL for spectral analysis), and a large number of meteorites (Ribbeck as a recent example). The PLL department is composed of the following laboratories: The Planetary Spectroscopy Laboratory (PSL), the Sample Analysis Laboratory (SAL), the Sample Preparation Laboratory, the Planetary Analogue Simulation Laboratory (PASLAB), and the Raman Mineral- and Bio-Detection Laboratory (RMBL).