The aerospace industry is incredibly important to the German economy, bringing together four key fields of modern-day technology. It also plays a pioneering role in opening up new technologies in other sectors of industry. Just how and where is described by our Steinbeis experts: Prof. Dr. Mario Trieloff, director of the AstroGeomaterials Steinbeis Transfer Center, explains the role played by geoscience in exploring the universe. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Rüdiger Haas provides an over-view of key developments in aerospace technology in recent years, also outlining current trends. Prof. Dr. Christof Büskens, who is director of the Steinbeis Research Center for Optimization, Control and Adjustment Control, introduces the European NLP solver WORHP and how it helps solve challenges in the aerospace industry. In an interview with Prof. Dr.-Ing. Rolf-Jürgen Ahlers, chairman of the Baden-Württemberg Aerospace Forum LR BW and deputy chairman of the Steinbeis Foundation Board of Trustees, Ahlers gives an outline of the aerospace sector in the state of Baden-Württemberg and future prospects. Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Monika Auweter-Kurtz, director of the German Aerospace Acad-emy (ASA), a Steinbeis Transfer Institute, looks at training and continuing professional development and its role in boost-ing innovation. The director of both the Steinbeis Transfer Center for Manufacturing Technology & Machine Tools and the Steinbeis Consulting Center for High-Pressure Waterjet Technology, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael Kaufeld, explains how individ-ual components can be optimized and why this is so important in aerospace production. Finally, Prof. Rudolf Voit-Nitschmann, director of the Steinbeis Transfer Center for Aerodynamics, Aircraft Engineering and Lightweight Construc-tion and managing director of Steinbeis Flugzeug- und Leichtbau GmbH, provides an update on innovative developments in the field of unmanned aircraft.
