ESA plans for German astronaut to head to moon – DW – 11/27/2025

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The European Space Agency (ESA) is planning to send a German astronaut to the Moon as part of the “Artemis” mission.

This was announced by Joseph Eschbacher, head of the European Space Agency (ESA), on the sidelines of the ESA Ministerial Council meeting in Bremen.

He said, “I have decided that the first Europeans to fly to the Moon will be part of the Artemis programme. We are looking for a German astronaut to join the crew.”

Although it is not known who will reach the Moon, two candidates can be considered, German ESA astronauts Alexander Gerst (49) and Matthias Maurer (55).

If this happens, it may still take several years for the mission to be completed.

The US is considering returning astronauts to the Moon with the Artemis program, with four American astronauts scheduled to orbit the Moon in the first half of 2026.

In 2027, Artemis 3 is expected to see astronauts land on the Moon again after more than half a century.

A man who poured petrol on his wife before setting her on fire on a tram in the eastern German city of Gera has been sentenced to life in prison.

The Georgian national was found guilty of attempted murder and aggravated assault. He was ordered to pay €75,000 ($87,000) in compensation.

Judge Uwe Tondorf said the man tried to kill his wife because she wanted to end their marriage. He suffered life-threatening injuries as a result of the attack.

“You have destroyed your family and your life at the same time,” Tondorf said.

The convicted man moved to Germany in 2018, and later his wife and children also moved to Germany.

The man knew that other passengers might be injured in the March attack, so he ran away before attempting to take his own life. Later he surrendered before the police.

Ten years ago many refugees came to Germany. The northern village of Boustead shows how integration can succeed – and where it still falls short.

According to a survey published by image Conducted by the newspaper and INSA, 54% of respondents think the current German government is likely to fall before the end of its legislative term in 2029.

The coalition, which included Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative CDU/CSU bloc and the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), was formed following a general election in February that led to the fall of the previous government.

29% of those surveyed said they were confident the coalition government would survive, while 11% of respondents did not answer.

The majority of supporters of Merz’s conservative bloc (56%) believed that the coalition would survive.

INSA said its survey included interviews with more than 1,000 eligible voters between November 21 and 24.

The survey comes amid tensions within the coalition over planned pension reforms.

The proposal to overhaul Germany’s pension system, which faces challenges inherent in an aging society, has also come under criticism from within Merz’s conservative faction.

At the heart of the issue is an agreement by conservatives and the centre-left to boost pensions to the current level of 48% of the average earner’s income by 2031.

The youth organization of the CDU/CSU has called on young conservative MPs not to approve the pension package in its current form, arguing that it is too expensive and places an unfair burden on young workers and future generations.

Authorities in Türkiye confirmed that the death of a German family while on holiday in Istanbul was caused by chemical poisoning.

Turkish prosecutors said a forensic report showed that the cause of death of the family of four was a pesticide used for pest control.

The German family of Turkish origin was staying in a hotel in Istanbul’s Fatih district when they fell ill on November 12. They first went to the hospital and then returned to the hotel.

The next day, they were taken to hospital by ambulance and both children, aged six and three, died the same day.

His mother died on 14 November, while his father died on 17 November.

Food poisoning was initially suspected and several street food vendors were detained. However, an autopsy later confirmed that the family members died of other causes.

Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency earlier cited a preliminary report submitted to the prosecutor’s office as saying that phosphine gas, a pesticide metabolite, was found on towels, masks and swab samples taken from different parts of the hotel room.

Six people, including the hotel owner and the owner of a pest control company, were arrested during the investigation.
Custody.

good day From the newsroom here in Bonn!

Today, news comes from Turkey confirming the cause of death of a German-Turkish family who died during a trip to Istanbul earlier this month.

Authorities are racing to establish the cause of death with food poisoning initially suspected.

There is also a survey of Germans who feel Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s coalition government will not reach the end of its term as scheduled in 2029.

Stay tuned as we continue to bring you updates from the day’s events in Europe’s largest economy on November 27.