September 15, 2026 | 01:09 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A team from Indonesia’s Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) has been selected to conduct a microgravity experiment in Germany under the 10th round of the Fellowship Programme for Drop Tower Experiment Series (DropTES).
The team will study how partially wet silica sand moves and redistributes under controlled shaking in microgravity. The research could provide data relevant to future space missions, including the development of robotic excavation systems, sample-handling mechanisms, and technologies for transporting materials on the Moon and beyond.
The DropTES programme is jointly run 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 support from the German Aerospace Center (DLR).
As part of the fellowship, the UGM team will travel to Germany to conduct its experiment using ZARM’s Bremen Drop Tower and GraviTower Bremen Pro, facilities that provide ground-based access to microgravity conditions.
The experiment focuses on the behavior of wet granular materials, which could be relevant to understanding how soil-like materials behave in low-gravity environments. Such data could help researchers develop technologies for handling and moving lunar or Martian soil during future exploration missions.
UNOOSA Director Aarti Holla-Maini said the programme aims to give researchers from countries with emerging space capabilities greater access to space research facilities.
“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,” Holla-Maini said.
She welcomed the selection of the Indonesian team and thanked ZARM and DLR for their continued partnership in expanding access to space research.
ZARM Director Marc Avila congratulated the UGM team and said its project addresses challenges related to future space exploration.
“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,” Avila said.
Through DropTES, students will have the opportunity to design, build, and test their experiment at the Bremen Drop Tower, a facility normally used by professional researchers and engineers.
The programme is part of UNOOSA’s Access to Space for All initiative, which seeks to expand access to space research infrastructure and strengthen scientific and technical capabilities in countries with emerging space programmes.
Launched in 2014, DropTES has supported nine experiments by teams from Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Italy, Jordan, Poland, Romania, and Venezuela. The latest awardee before UGM was Universidad Central de Venezuela, whose team studied the effects of microgravity on the welding of aluminum alloys.
UGM Director of Student Affairs Hempri Suyatna said the programme would give Indonesian students an opportunity to gain hands-on research experience in microgravity and space exploration.
He said the university hoped the experience would encourage students to pursue innovative research and contribute to the development of space science and technology in Indonesia.
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