Germany and Japan to cooperate on thermoelectric generators

The DLR, Germany’s space agency, has agreed to cooperate with its Japanese counterpart and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, also in Japan.

Two agreements signed in Tokyo on 21 September will lead to the institutes working together on the development of thermoelectric generators and of powerful and long-lasting batteries for space missions. Another area of focus will be the acquisition and processing of satellite data on greenhouse gases.

The agreements follow more than a year of negotiations on topics for collaboration. The DLR and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency signed an Inter-Agency Arrangement for Strategic Partnership in February 2016.