DLR is the national aeronautics and space research centre of the Federal Republic of Germany. Its site at Oberpfaffenhofen is one of Germany's largest research centres. It is home to eight scientific institutes (including DFD) and currently employs approximately 1,700 people. The research centre's main fields of activity include participation in space missions, climate research, research and development in earth observation, development of navigation systems and advanced robotics development.

Data out of space - With its national and international receiving stations, DFD offers direct access to data from national, European and international satellite missions. The earth observation data is then used to derive information products for various applications and geoscientific questions. The products are disseminated to users and safeguarded together with the raw data in the National Remote Sensing Data Library for long-term use.

Wide coverage in research - Geoscientific research at DFD is mainly performed in the context of global change, especially focusing on land surface dynamics, atmosphere, georisks and civil security. DFD also operates thematic user services, in particular the World Data Center for Remote Sensing of the Atmosphere (WDC-RSAT), and the Center for Satellite-based Crisis Information (ZKI).

Invest in the future – To take care of the next generation of scientists, DFD provides many jobs to get started in the working world. It offers chances to start your career as an intern, graduate, master-graduate, doctorate or as a visiting-scientist. Thereby, DFD offers the possibility to work in a global setting since it is connected with numerous research institutions, industry, and international organisations worldwide. As a partner of public authorities and commercial customers, DFD links the science sector with end users.