The Department for Planetary Laboratories (PLL): a unique collection of spectroscopy and environment simulation facilities to support the planetary science community

The Department for Planetary Laboratories (PLL) of DLR provides a wide and diverse range of laboratory setups and environmental chambers, covering the study of a variety of planetary bodies in our solar system and beyond. This planetary science infrastructure has an extensive set of instruments and specialized tools, including a Planetary Spectroscopy Laboratory (PSL), a Planetary Simulation Laboratory (PASLAB), a Raman-Mineral-Biosignature Laboratory, a Sample Analysis Laboratory (SAL) and a Sample Preparation laboratory. PLL’s primary focus is based on understanding the formation and evolution of planetary surfaces and assessing their potential for past or present habitability. While remote sensing data from planetary objects of our solar system such as Mars, the Moon, asteroids, Mercury, and Venus have provided valuable insights into planetary evolution, they also pose unresolved questions. To address these, PLL integrates analysis of data from space missions, laboratory and on the field analog studies simulating planetary conditions, and analysis of returned samples. Simulating planetary environments in our laboratory facility helps interpreting remote sensing data and surface alteration processes. The in-situ analysis of returned samples offers the most reliable ground truth. PLL’s capabilities enable us to connect this ground truth to both local and global contexts, advancing our understanding of planetary formation, evolution, and habitability potential. PLL currently supports a wide range of planetary missions including the ESA EnVision, BepiColombo, ExoMars rover and JUICE missions as well as the NASA VERITAS and DAVINCI missions and the JAXA Hayabusa 2 and MMX missions. PLL also performs measurements for industry on optical components (entrance windows, filters, radiators, reference surfaces), and materials for industrial uses (3D-printing, ceramics).