Space offers virtually unlimited free-fall in gravity. Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) enables ineffable low kinetic energies corresponding to pico-or even femtokelvins. The combination of both features makes atom interferometers with unprecedented sensitivity for inertial forces possible and opens a new era for quantum gas experiments 1, 2 . On January 23, 2017, we created Bose-Einstein condensates in space on the sounding rocket mission MAIUS-1 and conducted 110 experiments central to matter-wave interferometry. In particular, we have explored laser cooling and trapping in the presence of large accelerations as experienced during launch, and have studied the evolution, manipulation and interferometry employing Bragg scattering of BECs during the six-minute space flight. In this letter, we focus on the phase transition and the collective dynamics of BECs, whose impact is magnified by the extended free-fall time. Our experiments demonstrate a high reproducibility of the manipulation of BECs on the atom chip reflecting the exquisite control features and the robustness of our experiment. These properties are crucial to novel protocols for creating quantum matter with designed collective excitations at the lowest kinetic energy scales close to femtokelvins 3 .Quantum systems, such as matter-waves in the presence of a gravitational field 4 , shine new light on our understanding of both, general relativity 5 and quantum mechanics. Since the sensitivity for measuring inertial forces with matter-wave interferometers is proportional to the square of the time the atoms spend in the interferometer 6 , an extended free-fall promises an enormous enhancement in performance 1, 7 . In this context, Bose-Einstein condensates 8, 9 herald a shift in paradigm because they allow us to perform interferometry over macroscopic timescales on the order of tens of seconds. In addition, the extreme coherence length of delta-kick collimated BECs 10-12 , equivalent to temperatures as low as pico-or even femtokelvins, is mandatory to combine precision with accuracy 1 .Despite the generation and manipulation of this state of matter being delicate, we have successfully demonstrated key methods of atom optics in microgravity on board a sounding rocket. Our experimental apparatus 13-15 depicted in Fig. 1 is equipped with a multilayer atom chip 16-18 and achieved an, even for terrestrial experiments, high BEC flux 19 . The latter made it possible to perform a large number of experiments during the space flight, exemplified here by images of the first man-made space BEC (Fig. 1e) and Bragg scattering of a BEC (Fig. 1f). Figure 2 summarises the experiments of the MAIUS-1 mission performed in space, as well as during the launch of the rocket. They are instrumental for NASA's Cold Atom Laboratory 2 (CAL) on the International Space Station (ISS) and for the NASA-DLR multi-user facility Bose-Einstein Condensate and Cold Atom Laboratory (BECCAL), which is presently in the planning phase 20 .In this letter, we report on BEC experiments with Rubidium-87 a...

Microgravity eases several constraints limiting experiments with ultracold and condensed atoms on ground. It enables extended times of flight without suspension and eliminates the gravitational sag for trapped atoms. These advantages motivated numerous initiatives to adapt and operate experimental setups on microgravity platforms. We describe the design of the payload, motivations for design choices, and capabilities of the Bose-Einstein Condensate and Cold Atom Laboratory (BECCAL), a NASA-DLR collaboration. BECCAL builds on the heritage of previous devices operated in microgravity, features rubidium and potassium, multiple options for magnetic and optical trapping, different methods for coherent manipulation, and will offer new perspectives for experiments on quantum optics, atom optics, and atom interferometry in the unique microgravity environment on board the International Space Station.

Since 2010 the German Aerospace Center (DLR) is working on the project ATON (Autonomous Terrain-based Optical Navigation). Its objective is the development of technologies which allow autonomous navigation of spacecraft in orbit around and during landing on celestial bodies like the Moon, planets, asteroids and comets. The project developed different image processing techniques and optical navigation methods as well as sensor data fusion. The setup-which is applicable to many exploration missions-consists of an inertial measurement unit (IMU), a laser altimeter, a star tracker and one or multiple navigation cameras. In the past years, several milestones have been achieved. It started with the setup of a simulation environment including the detailed simulation of camera images. This was continued by hardware-in-the-loop tests in the Testbed for Robotic Optical Navigation where images were generated by real cameras in a simulated downscaled lunar landing scene. Data was recorded

The project ATON (Autonomous Terrain-based Optical Navigation) at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) is developing an optical navigation system for future landing missions on celestial bodies such as the Moon or asteroids. Image data obtained by optical sensors can be used for autonomous determination of the spacecraft's position and attitude. Camera-in-the-loop experiments in the TRON (Testbed for Robotic Optical Navigation) laboratory and flight campaigns with unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) are performed to gather flight data for further development and to test the system in a closed-loop scenario. The software modules are executed in the C++ Tasking Framework that provides the means to concurrently run the modules in separated tasks, send messages between tasks, and schedule task execution based on events. Since the project is developed in collaboration with several institutes in different domains at DLR, clearly defined and well-documented interfaces are necessary. Preventing misconceptions caused by differences between various development philosophies and standards turned out to be challenging. After the first development cycles with manual Interface Control Documents (ICD) and manual implementation of the complex interactions between modules, we switched to a model-based approach. The ATON model covers a graphical description of the modules, their parameters and communication patterns. Type and consistency checks on this formal level help to reduce errors in the system. The model enables the generation of interfaces and unified data types as well as their documentation. Furthermore, the C++ code for the exchange of data between the modules and the scheduling of the software tasks is created automatically. With this approach, changing the data flow in the system or adding additional components (e.g. a second camera) have become trivial.