News of December 11, 2025
Livestream: Orbit as a Laboratory
Experiments in microgravity open new perspectives for sustainable technologies
How do liquids mix when gravity has no influence? What happens when solid particles suddenly form within such flows – particles like those found in soils, technical reactors, or in CO₂ storage? Researchers are seeking answers to these questions through experiments conducted aboard a sounding rocket, where chemical reactions are carried out under microgravity. These experiments provide fundamental insights that open new pathways for sustainable technologies. They can also demonstrate the possibilities offered by artificial intelligence for controlling such experiments. In a livestream on December 15, 2025 starting at 2 p.m., Dr. Karin Schwarzenberger from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and Prof. Dezső Horváth from the University of Szeged (Hungary) will present the project behind these exciting developments.
Disk-shaped reactor: A reaction front spreads between two flowing liquids.
Source: B. Schröder/HZDR
In October 2022, a team led by Dr. Karin Schwarzenberger of the Institute of Fluid Dynamics at HZDR placed an experiment module on board a sounding rocket to study a classic diffusion phenomenon without the influence of gravity. Under normal Earth gravity, buoyancy forces affect every mixing and flow process and overlay the actual diffusion. In microgravity, these effects disappear, allowing researchers to observe the mechanisms of mixing in isolation for the first time.
Using the resulting data, they validated theoretical models that are crucial for flow-through chemical reactors. They also gained insights into reactive flows in porous media such as soil. These findings close an important knowledge gap and form the basis for advancing sustainable environmental technologies.
The next step: particle formation in microgravity
Building on their 2022 experience, the researchers are now focusing on more complex reactions. Instead of a simple color reaction, they are analyzing a reaction that involves particle precipitation – a process relevant in many technological applications. Particle formation strongly influences flow behavior, meaning existing models alone cannot fully capture these dynamics.
Such processes are important for soil remediation, the creation of barrier layers to limit contamination, geological CO₂ storage, or the synthesis of novel particles suitable as catalysts. The planned experiment will help researchers systematically capture and classify flow and particle dynamics.
For preparation, they are reusing the module with the disk-shaped reactors deployed in 2022. This enables extensive functional testing, closely integrated with AI-assisted workflows. In parallel, Airbus is developing a complex extension module based on laboratory experiments conducted at HZDR and the University of Szeged (Hungary). This module investigates the process of particle precipitation in capillaries. These capillaries serve as models for rock pores or microfluidic reactors, giving researchers insight into processes relevant both in environmental contexts and in industry.
Particularly innovative is the integrated inline Raman microscope developed in collaboration with the University of Szeged. It allows researchers to observe the particle properties of the precipitate within the flowing medium with high spatial and temporal resolution. The launch of the new sounding-rocket experiment is planned for late 2026 or early 2027.
AI-assisted preparation for optimal experiments
For preparation, the researchers are testing a terminal that combines live videos from the reactors, measurements such as temperature, and a text-based communication window for interacting with the AI. They can specify which procedures need to be tested – for example, lighting function tests or trial runs of the countdown. The AI provides precise instructions, requests required parameters, explains each step, and answers technical questions.
A particular advantage of this test environment is that the AI – unlike control-room engineers – is not limited by time constraints. Researchers can calmly review complex sequences, optimize procedures, and test alternatives. In this way, they identify the optimal settings for the rocket launch and ensure that the experiment collects as much usable data as possible during flight.
Ultimately, these data from microgravity are intended to make sustainable technologies on Earth more efficient, safer, and more environmentally friendly.
Link: https://wiot-group.com/think/en/livestreams/orbit-as-a-laboratory-suborbital-missions-ai-opc-ua/
Further information:
Dr. Karin Schwarzenberger | Head Interface phenomena
Institute of Fluid Dynamics at HZDR
Phone: +49 351 463 36 627 | Email: k.schwarzenberger@hzdr.de
Media contact:
Simon Schmitt | Head
Communications and Media Relations at HZDR
Phone: +49 351 260 3400 | Mob.: +49 175 874 2865 | Email: s.schmitt@hzdr.de
