Bremen – With the founding of Blue Horizon Germany, Bremen-based space and technology group OHB SE is broadening its activities in the New Space sector. In April 2017, the listed company founded the start-up Blue Horizon in Luxembourg – as a company intended to substantiate the vision of enabling sustainable living in outer space and revitalising desolated landscapes on Earth. Both are enabled by technologies and processes from the field of “life sciences”.

At the Luxembourg site, Blue Horizon is currently working intensively on bids for research into autonomous ecosystems on the Moon (Cubehab), biological water monitoring systems (Aquahab), and the execution of biological experiments in zero gravity (Biosat) with a staff of three employees.

At the Bremen site, Blue Horizon Deutschland is researching biological techniques to ensure plant growth on Moon and Mars rock with a staff of five employees. "We have a great deal of experience in this area," says Klaus Slenzka, Chief Scientist at Blue Horizon. “Already in 2010, OHB succeeded in growing higher plants on lunar rocks using suitable biological technology. These applied biological techniques can be used 1 to 1 to green on the deserts.” A cooperation with scientists in China, who work on this topic in Inner Mongolia, is on the way.

“Blue Horizon is a logical step forward in the development of our activities. We see great business potential in life sciences in space, which particularly follows OHB’s practical approach of engaging in useful space activities that benefit life on Earth,” said Marco Fuchs, CEO of OHB SE. “A great deal of expertise from the subsidiary companies of OHB will flow into these NewSpace companies. This is a great advantage because it enables us to get going straight away. I am therefore convinced that we will be successful with our endeavours very soon.”