“With Webservatory®, sciencentric AG is making a significant contribution to the integration of the new telescope in Meßstetten. However, the resulting collaboration with the German Armed Forces is still in its early stages and is intended to ensure greater independence and resilience in the future, thereby supporting the ongoing mission of space utilization. Together with our partners at the German Armed Forces, we look forward to exciting future projects that will allow us to take important new steps in the SSA sector and, with Webservatory®, make a significant contribution to securing space.” – Oliver Heuser (CEO)

We are very pleased to have successfully completed the Site Acceptance Test (SAT) this month for our major project with the German Armed Forces, in collaboration with our friends and partners Baader Planetarium and steep GmbH. The system is now being handed over to the German Armed Forces for testing, with the aim of expanding the German Armed Forces’ space surveillance capabilities in the future.

As part of this project, we were able to create a high-performance space surveillance solution together with the Bundeswehr that not only meets the highest quality and security requirements but also underscores our company’s innovative strength and implementation expertise.

In an interview, our CEO Oliver Heuser discusses the strategic importance of the project, specific challenges during implementation, and the collaboration with all stakeholders. He also provides insights into the technological features of the SSA station. 

Why did the Bundeswehr acquire an SSA system in Meßstetten? What are the advantages of installing the telescopes in Meßstetten?

Germany has decided to significantly expand the Bundeswehr’s capability portfolio—not least in the space domain. Great importance is attached to the integration of its own sensors, as resilience, independence, and the ability to set its own priorities depend directly on these systems. The SSA system thus marks the Bundeswehr’s first step toward expanding the essential capabilities required for space surveillance. For the Bundeswehr, this is the first of many planned stations. The goal is to establish a global network of stations through the installation of additional equipment, and we at sciencentric AG are pleased to be a part of it.  

Meßstetten, as a location within Germany, also offers low light pollution, a high elevation, many clear nights, a stable atmosphere (“seeing”), and a low population density. These characteristics make it a good location for passive optical observations.

How should this installation be evaluated for Germany in general?

The telescope system in Meßstetten is the first of its kind. With this system, Germany is expanding its SSA capabilities. Many other countries typically rely on SSA data, operate individual sensors, or depend on partners. With the installation in Meßstetten, Germany is taking a different approach by focusing on fully integrated systems with highly specialized and comprehensive capabilities. The goal is to expand optical SSA capabilities. In today’s geopolitical environment, this is increasingly recognized as crucial for establishing a greater focus on creating our own object catalogs and conducting independent orbital verification of objects. Ultimately, this leads to reduced dependence on third countries and, consequently, resilient space security.

Just how powerful are these devices?

These are two telescopes, each with a 1-meter mirror diameter. They therefore fall into a size class that is clearly in the professional range and were supplied, assembled, installed, and calibrated by our partner Baader Planetarium. The detection range for space objects extends up to an altitude of approximately 40,000 km, where, for example, GEO satellites are located. GEO satellites are generally very faint, and the detectability of such objects depends directly on the signal-to-noise ratio. With the installed equipment, objects ranging from 50 cm in size up to an altitude of 36,000 km and from 10 cm in size up to an altitude of 2,000 km can be detected.

What technological features or innovations does the SSA station incorporate?

If one were to evaluate the installed optics alone, this would not yet be a true game-changer. The systems provide an excellent foundation for generating high-quality results; however, everything hinges on the integration of the systems and the downstream analysis steps that transform the raw data into precise tracking results.

This is precisely where our browser-based Webservatory® SSA Toolbox comes into play. By integrating components such as autonomous control, tracking of satellites or space debris, and AI-assisted real-time detection, it lays the foundation upon which modern SSA systems are defined. Only through this does such a system become truly usable.

What benefits do you see in this structure for yourself and sciencentric® AG?

sciencentric® AG considers itself a specialist in the automation and integration of highly complex systems. Originally, we focused on traditional astronomical control systems and operate our own telescope systems at two locations in Namibia and Chile, which can be controlled using the same browser-based software suite.

For the past five years, we have been receiving an increasing number of inquiries from the SSA sector, so the software suite has been expanded accordingly. All of this now operates under the Webservatory® brand and should be understood as a comprehensive control and analysis software solution for multisensor systems. Due to the generally increasing sensitivity in the field of Space Situation Awareness, we are already seeing significantly higher demand, particularly from other European countries. We therefore expect to integrate more similar systems into sensor networks in the future and to continuously expand our product portfolio. Incidentally, it no longer matters whether the systems in question are telescopic systems, radars, lasers, or manufacturer-specific specialized sensors.

In your opinion, what factors were key to the successful completion of the project?

In addition to providing the necessary, comprehensive software suite and the required optics, our outstanding team—with its specialized expertise and determination to make this project a success—deserves special mention. Without that, such complex integrations would be far less successful. This is especially true because the project requires a combination of programming skills and excellent technical expertise in areas such as satellite tracking, hardware-oriented programming, image processing, AI model development, and others—a combination that is rarely found. Another key factor is the close and productive collaboration with the user at the  Bundeswehr Space Command (WRKdoBw). This made it possible to tailor the product optimally to the customer’s needs and to receive ongoing feedback regarding the development status. The entire integration of the systems into the Bundeswehr’s infrastructure was carried out using an agile approach.

A project of this magnitude can only succeed through a strong consortium. We would like to take this opportunity to highlight the key partners without whom the successful Site Acceptance Test would not have been possible:

Baader Planetarium was responsible for the optical hardware and the dome construction—from the delivery of the two 1-meter telescopes through assembly and installation to calibration. Baader Planetarium’s experience in professional telescope construction forms the physical foundation upon which the Webservatory® is built.

We would also like to thank steep GmbH, which, as the general contractor, took responsibility for the entire project and skillfully managed the complex coordination between the German Armed Forces, technical contractors, and suppliers. This approach has proven to be a viable model, which we view as a blueprint for future SSA projects as well.

What are the next steps following successful acceptance?

The entire software suite is constantly being further developed. Since Webservatory® bridges the gap between the control of interconnected sensors, their automation, and subsequent analysis, extending the system to additional sensors and integrating them is only the logical next step. Webservatory® provides nothing less than a multisensor suite into which additional sensors from the aforementioned context can be integrated. In addition to the goal of connecting additional sensor systems, continuous product improvement in collaboration with the respective customer is a key aspect of our future activities.

If you had to briefly describe the SSA station, how would you put it?

The German Armed Forces describe the project itself as “the first of its kind in Germany.” Historically, much of the space situational awareness data has come from the United States. With this system, it is now possible to build our own independent national capabilities, laying the foundation for a German space situational awareness (SSA) architecture.