For information only – not an official document
UNIS/OS/613
7 September 2026
VIENNA, 7 September (United Nations Information Service) — A team from Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia, has been selected to conduct a microgravity experiment in Germany through the tenth round of Fellowship Programme for Drop Tower Experiment Series (DropTES).
The programme is jointly implemented by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity (ZARM) at the University of Bremen. with the support of the German Aerospace Center (DLR).
The team's project will study how partially wet silica sand moves and redistributes when subjected to controlled shaking in microgravity. This research could generate data to help inform technologies for future missions to the Moon and beyond, including robotic excavation systems, sample-handling mechanisms and material-transport technologies.
DropTES is part of the hypergravity and microgravity track of UNOOSA's "Access to Space for All" initiative, which helps expand access to space research facilities and build scientific and technical capacity. Through the programme, selected teams travel to Germany to conduct their experiment using ZARM's Bremen Drop Tower and GraviTower Bremen Pro, which provide ground-based access to high-quality microgravity conditions.
Since its launch in 2014, DropTES has enabled nine experiments by teams from institutions in Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Italy, Jordan, Poland, Romania, and Venezuela. The most recent awardee, Universidad Central de Venezuela, used the opportunity to study the effects of microgravity on the welding of aluminium alloys. The team subsequently sought to build on that experience through applications to other Access to Space for All opportunities, demonstrating how participation can help institutions develop expertise and pursue further space research.
Director of UNOOSA Aarti Holla Maini said: “Scientific talent is everywhere, but access to opportunities is not. Programmes like DropTES help close that gap, giving teams from countries with emerging space capabilities the chance to turn their ideas into real experiments. I am delighted that this year’s selected team from Indonesia will have that opportunity, and grateful to ZARM and DLR for their continued partnership in expanding access to space research.”
Director of ZARM Marc Avila said: "Congratulations to this year's winning team on their outstanding proposal. We are delighted to welcome them to ZARM. Their project addresses an important challenge for future space exploration by investigating how moist granular materials similar to lunar and Martian soil behave under microgravity conditions. Through DropTES, the students have the unique opportunity to design, build, and test their own experiment in the Bremen Drop Tower – an environment normally reserved for professional researchers and engineers. Programmes like DropTES demonstrate how international collaboration can empower the next generation of space scientists and engineers by providing hands-on access to world-class research infrastructure.”
Project Manager of the Drop Tower at DLR Space Agency Tobias Saltzman, said: “The German Space Agency is proud to contribute the use of its national Drop Tower facility to the outstanding UNOOSA programme DropTES, realizing microgravity experiments for students. We are convinced that the support of young scientists in realizing their scientific ideas is the keystone for solving the world's challenges to come.”
Director of Student Affairs of Universitas Gadjah Mada, Dr. Hempri Suyatna, said: “Participation in DropTES is a valuable opportunity for our students to experience research in the context of microgravity and space exploration. We hope this experience will inspire them to pursue innovative research and contribute to the advancement of space science and technology in Indonesia.”
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For more information, please contact:
Access to Space for All initiative Team
United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA)
Email: unoosa-access-to-space[at]un.org
The thirteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) will be held from 19 to 23 October 2026 at the Vienna International Centre, Austria.
The Fifteenth United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice concluded today with more than 60 countries agreeing time-bound actions to strengthen criminal justice responses, expand access to justice and improve international cooperation to tackle global crime threats.
The Fifteenth United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice opened today with the adoption of the Abu Dhabi Declaration, a forward-looking global framework to strengthen international criminal justice cooperation against fast-evolving crime challenges and exploitation of digital technologies.
"It's time to choose dialogue over division, diplomacy over confrontation, and disarmament over destruction. States that possess nuclear weapons must honour their disarmament obligations and commit to the total elimination of nuclear weapons." — António Guterres
