Satellite Missions
Designing satellite missions while taking into account constraints such as observation cycles, coverage, communications architecture and performance is an important aspect of our work. We also design satellites to meet the requirements of their mission concept. We prepare system requirements and performance analyses, plan functional and physical architectures and calculate system budgets. So far, we have completed more than 15 projects, including for the German Aerospace Centre, the ESA, the EU, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, Airbus and OHB.
Satellite Technology
Besides mission design, our second core expertise is satellite technology, which includes the development of specific technologies and engineering for future satellites:
- Safe formation flight, rendezvous and docking – relevant for the development of strategies for removing space debris, etc.
- Autonomous fault management – relevant for ensuring the operation of satellites and spacecraft through independent error correction without the need for maintenance by operators on the ground
- Highly stable structures for optical and interferometric instruments (patent) – relevant for the use of measuring devices that are increasingly accurate but require a stable on-board environment in order to yield precise results
- Autonomous landing in unknown and difficult terrain – relevant for precision landing and independent retargeting if the original landing site proves unsuitable.
Scientific Missions
We conduct experiments as part of the following important missions of the ESA and NASA:
- Rosetta (comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko)
- Mars Express (Mars)
- Venus Express (Venus)
- New Horizons (Pluto)
- JUICE (Jupiter)
Contact
Department of Aerospace Engineering
Institute of Space Technology and Space Applications
University of the Bundeswehr Munich
Werner-Heisenberg-Weg 39
85577 Neubiberg, Germany
Web: www.unibw.de/lrt9 (only available in German)
Legend
- 1: Mission Design and Satellite Technology / Scientific Missions