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About RLS-Small Satellites

A paradigm shift is emerging in spacecraft engineering from single, large, and multifunctional satellites towards cooperating groups of small satellites, forming a sensor network in orbit. This will enable innovative approaches in areas like earth observation, science exploration or telecommunication. Modern miniaturization techniques allow realization of satellites with continuously smaller masses, thus enabling cost-efficient implementation of distributed multi-satellite systems. Currently, state-of-the-art research in the field of small satellites involves formations of only two satellites.

The Project:
''Lightweight, Strong Impact: Small Satellites for Telecommunication and Earth Observation''

At present, ‘‘state of the art‘‘ in small satellites research is a formation of only two satellites. Using expertise available in satellite research, space communication (navigation, guidance, control), miniaturization, and mechatronics, the RLS research group will work on an empowered model of at least six pico-satellites in orbit, and deliver new applications in telecommunication and Earth observation.
 
The scientific challenge behind this evolution is twofold:
• Bringing into orbit a formation of networked, cooperating, “smart” small satellites, operating autonomously with minimum ground station interaction;
• Developing modular, robust small satellites
 
In order to control the formation, the RLS-Small Satellites project will develop three essential subsystems: an altitude and orbit determination and control system, a communications system capable of inter-satellite communication and satellite-to-ground communication, and electrical propulsion for orbit control and maintaining formation.

The main objective is to promote technology leadership through multilateral cooperation in the field of very small satellites. Each of the RLS regions have the necessary expertise: they are either contributing a full satellite, key components, launch support, or combinations of each. The cooperation will maintain research and training excellence in the RLS network, and provide a regional advantage in the increasingly competitive arena of international science and innovation around small satellites. In the medium-term, the RLS regions can help to bring a new regional technology into market for innovative 3-D Earth observation and telecommunication (internet in space). In the long-term, this project will have a symbolic dimension, showing that cooperation on the ground can lead to technological achievements in space.
 
Since 2016, the RLS-Small Satellites group has more than doubled the number of satellites contributed to the project. From an initial proposal of 3, the project partners are currently working on developing and constructing 6 or more small satellites. The engagement of the project partners across the levels of the RLS network have been key in contributing to this great success, with the political, scientific, and administrative levels working in close concert to find solutions that enable such commitments. Lauch support has also been confirmed. In 2017, in association with several project partners, the Julius-Maximilians University of Würzburg launched a Master of Satellite Technology. The project was also submitted as a conference paper at the Global Space Exploration Conference (GLEX 2017), Beijing, China in mid 2017, and was presented as a poster at the 12th IAA Symposium in Berlin in 2019.

The Partners

The lead partner for the project is Prof. Dr. Klaus Schilling (Institut für Robotik und Telematik, Universität Würzburg and the Zentrum für Telematik e.V.) in Bavaria.
Other associated partners include (listed alphabetically by region):
Airbus EADS (Bavaria)
DLR (Bavaria)
IABG (Bavaria)
Technische Universität München (Bavaria)
Georgia Institute of Technology Center for Space Systems (Georgia)
Polytechnique Montréal (Québec)

Click on any partner's logo to learn more.
The National Institute for Space Research (São Paulo)
China Academy of Space Technology: Shandong Institute of Aerospace Electronics (Shandong)
Johannes Kepler Universität Linz (Upper Austria)
Cape Peninsula University of Technology (Western Cape)
Stellenbosch University (Western Cape)

Interested in joining the RLS-Small Satellites? Get in touch here. 
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News and Updates

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Bavarian Minister Huml presents funding for Bavarian small satellites
4 March, 2022, Würzburg, Bavaria

On 4 March, Bavarian State Minister for European and International Affairs, Melanie Huml, visited the Centre for Telematics in Würzburg, Bavaria, home of the Bavarian team and lead for the RLS-Sciences Small Satellites project.  Upon the occasion of her visit, she presented new funding to the group, totalling 340 000 EUR. Three small satellites from Bavaria will be launched later this year, and will be designated under the project name “OperaTOM- Scientific Operation of the TOM Satellite Formation in Orbit”. The partner regions are cooperating on small satellites, assessing how the satellites can work in a formation in space and assessing the data they capture together through a global network of ground stations.

Read more here (German language).
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Bavarian Minister for European and International Affairs, Melanie Huml, MdL (left) presented Prof. Klaus Schilling (right) with 340 000 EUR funding for the OperaTOM small satellites project. Credit: Bavarian Ministry for European and International Affairs, 2022

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RLS-Small Satellites lead scientist Prof. Klaus Schilling wins prestigious German Aerospace Society Award
26 August, 2021, Bavaria

In recognition of his outstanding achievements in the development of small satellites, the German Aerospace Society (DGLR) has awarded Prof. Klaus Schilling with the 2020 Eugen-Sänger-Medal. The prize, which is considered the most important German award in the space sector, has only been awarded 26 times since its creation in1965. According to DGLR President Prof. Rolf Henke, “From the very beginning, Professor Schilling has recognised and promoted the importance of interdisciplinary technological cross-fertilizationbetween computer science, automation, softwaredevelopment, and robotics. His satellites impressively reflect this interaction of different components".

Read more here.

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RLS-Small Satellites at the RLS-Sciences Online Conference 2021
16 June, 2021, online in Munich, Bavaria

The RLS-Small Satellites group met for an internal project meeting on Wednesday, 16 June. The partners reviewed their current commitments, including 3 TOM satellites from Bavaria and 3 picosatellites from Shandong. The group is working to ensure these satellites are launched this year, with the aim to integrate as many regions as possible into an RLS ground station network. The more ground stations the satellites can connect to, the better the coverage will be and the more Earth
observation data can be downlinked and analysed. Prof. Schilling (Bavaria) showed a variety of possible data types which could be generated for the regions, demonstrating the value the project brings for direct data generation and analysis.

Read a summary of the RLS-Sciences Online Conference 2021 here.

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​Second RLS-Small Satellites Newsletter

The second newsletter from the RLS-Small Satellites project is now online! It can be dowloaded here.

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Forum Munich Aerospace lecture with Prof. Klaus Schilling on mini-satellites
12 December, 2019, Munich, Bavaria

Munich Aerospace, in partnership with the Technical University of Munich, the German Society for Aeronautics and Astronautics, and the Royal Aeronautical Society, has launched a lecture series, Forum Munich Aerospace, to cover the latest developments in aerospace combined with special historical perspectives of industry.

In a cross-thematic RLS-Sciences activity and as a GAC.impulse, Prof. Klaus Schilling of the University of Würzburg and lead partner of RLS-Small Satellites held a lecture in the series. His talk, “The Future of Space: Networked, Cooperating Mini-Satellites?”, discussed the paradigm shift from traditional, multifunctional, large space probes to distributed, networked, cooperating micro-satellites. Watch his lecture (in German) below, or on the Global Aerospace Campus YouTube channel here.

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Bavaria and São Paulo meet in Würzburg for Small Satellites
9-13 September, 2019, Würzburg, Bavaria

Partners from São Paulo and Bavaria met in Würzburg in early September for a bilateral TIM meeting as a follow up to the TIM meetings which were held as part of the 2019 RLS-Sciences Conference in São José dos Campos in May this year. In addition, partners participated in the 12th Pico-and Nano Satellite Workshop, where they continued their discussions with new inputs. The workshop theme was ‘’Technologies for Small Satellites Research’’.

Learn more about the workshop here.

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Small Satellites at the RLS-Sciences Conference 2019
27-31 May, 2019, São José dos Campos, São Paulo

The project group made key progress together on ‘’TIM’’, including discussions on possible additional applications, such as agriculture during the 2019 RLS-Sciences Conference. The group is now looking at a formation of up to 12 pico-satellites. Additional aspects, such as cameras, testing facilities, and mechatronic components are key aspects being supported through regional commitments. The group also held a mini-course on small satellites, and heard presentations covering the range of research being conducted in São Paulo on small satellites, as well as key presentations from Bavaria, Québec, and Western Cape.

To review the most recent publications from the group, please click here.
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Brainstorming session amongst the Small Satellites project group. (Photo Credit: Klaus Schilling)
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Klaus Schilling presenting on the Internet of Things in space as part of the Small Satellites programme.

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RLS-Small Satellites ''TIM'' Poster presented at 12th IAA Symposium in Berlin

From 6 to 10 May, 2019, the International Academy of Astronautics hosted its 12th Symposium on Small Satellites for Earth Observation in Berlin, Germany. The RLS-Small Satellites group presented a poster on the ''Telematics International Mission'' or ''TIM''.

Review the poster here.
Learn more about the 12th IAA Symposium here.


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Celebration for small satellites success with ERC Synergy Grant for CloudCT

On 1 March, 2019, representatives from academia, government, and industry gathered in Munich to celebrate Prof. Klaus Schilling (Zentrum für Telematik), Prof. Ilan Koren (Weizmann Institute, Rehovot), and Prof. Yoav Schechner’s (Technion, Haifa) European Research Council (ERC) Synergy Grant for their interdisciplinary project, ‘’CloudCT’’. Over 70 guests attended the celebration at the invitation of the Scientific Coordination Office (WKS) and the Bavarian Research Alliance.
 
CloudCT builds upon longstanding small satellites research programme Prof. Schiling conducts in Würzburg with the ‘’UWE’’ and ‘’NetSat’’ series, as well as the international experience within the multilateral RLS-Small Satellites project with the ‘’TIM’’ series. Now in CloudCT, the principal investigators and their teams will capture unique data about clouds through advanced computer tomography using a formation of ten small satellites. The aim is to improve climate modelling.
 
The celebration began with a video message from Prof. Dr. Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, President of the European Research Council. Then, Judith Gerlach, Bavarian Minister for Digitalisation, spoke about the linkages between digitalisation and future technologies such as pico-satellites. Guests then treated heard a short history of research cooperation between Israel and Germany from Sandra Simovich, Consul General of the State of Israel in Munich.
 
The keynote address was given by Prof. Dr. Gerhard Sextl, who provided guests enlightening and humourous insights into the career and successes of Prof. Schilling, as well as Prof. Koren and Prof. Schechner. The researchers themselves then jointly presented their project, giving guests an opportunity to understand the need for an interdisciplinary approach and how each field will advance through this research.

Further Information and Links

CloudCT Festakt programme.

CloudCT Grant Announcement.

Zentrum für Telematik. 

Technion Hybrid Imaging Laboratory.

Weizmann Institute Cloud Physics Group.

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First RLS-Small Satellites Newsletter

The first newsletter from the RLS-Small Satellites project is now online! It can be dowloaded here.

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Student team led by Prof. Brian Gunter launches first Georgia Tech cube satellites

On 3 December, 2018, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rock successfully launched with a payload that included two Georgia Tech R.A.N.G.E. (Ranging and Nanosatellite Guidance Experiment) cube satellites. This marks the first time Georgia Tech satellites have successfully made it to space. The two satellites are now orbiting the Earth in a leader-follower formation. An autonomous system will collect the satellites’ data as they pass over Georgia Tech each day. The two satellites have no on-board propulsion, so they will use differential-drag techniques to maintain the formation, for which Prof. Gunter says there is very little experimental data in academic literature. Further, the satellites will explore relative navigation and autonomous maneuvering.

Read more here.

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Zentrum für Telematik wins prestigious ERC Synergy Grant

​The interdisciplinary German-Israeli project "CloudCT", with Prof. Klaus Schilling, has won a European Research Council (ERC) Synergy Grant, endowed with a maximum funding of €14 million. A formation of 10 microsatellites will record the composition of clouds using computer tomography methods. It is important that about 10 satellites simultaneously capture the  target area from different directions in order to generate a corresponding 3D image. This will provide atmospheric physicists with data to improve cloud modelling and improve climate predictions. An error of about 1% in cloud properties contributes to deviations in climate predictions at about the same order of magnitude as all greenhouse gases from human activities.
 
In 2012, Prof. Schilling was awarded the ERC Advanced Grant "NetSat" in the amount of €2.5 million to demonstrate for the first time control techniques for a self-organizing, three-dimensional formation of satellites in orbit. This capability is already being used innovatively for Earth observation in the 3 smallest satellites of "TOM - Telematics earth Observation Mission".
 
Read more here. (German)
Visit the Zentrum für Telematik website here. 
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The award winners Ilan Koren, Yoav Schechner, and Klaus Schilling in front of the precision motion simulator of the Center for Telematics in Würzburg, where this research work is being prepared. Photo Credit: Zentrüm für Telematik e.V, 2018

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RLS-Small Satellites at the 9th RLS Conference

On Friday, 18 May, 2018 , Prof. Dr. Klaus Schilling presented the RLS-Small Satellites project to the Regional Leaders Summit Conference at the Château Frontenac in Québec. This was part of the RLS-Sciences presentation segment of the conference. The presentation offered insights into the updated design of the satellites, as well as potential new applications and the progress of the project since 2016.

Review the RLS-Small Satellites presentation here.
Review the detailed publication references here. 

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RLS-Small Satellites Project Meeting in Québec

The RLS-Small Satellites project has been progressing towards a launch date, and the project meeting in Québec allowed the project partners a key opportunity to come together to determine the precise status of the individual satellites, the components, and the support. The project has now progressed to the stage of discussing further potential applications for the satellites following launch, which represents an important opportunity across all seven RLS regions.

A highlight of the RLS-Small Satellites activities was the inclusion of a scale-model of the TIM satellite, which project leader Prof. Schilling brought to a number of events. This allowed participants from all levels of RLS to gain a better understanding of the satellites, including the proportions, which are a critical component of the project.

Review the meeting overview presentation from Prof. Dr.  Klaus Schilling here.
​Review the detailed publication references here. 
Review the presentation from project partners in Shandong here.

Previous Events

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New degree programme “Satellite Technology” at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Bavaria

The new degree programme “Satellite Technology – Advanced Space Systems” will start in winter 2018 at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Bavaria. Focused on small satellites, telecommunication, earth observation, and digitalisation, this programme will expand the well-established programme “Erasmus Mundus Master Course in Space Science and Technology – SpaceMaster”. Special lectures and excursions will be organised by different partners in Bavaria, like Zentrum für Telematik, TUM, University of the Bundeswehr, and DLR. Professor Dr Klaus Schilling is chair of the new programme.

Read more here. 

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Zentrum für Telematik wins INNOSpace Master Competition 2017

​On 18 May, 2017, the Zentrum für Telematik e.V. (ZfT) was announced as the winner of the INNOSpace Master Competition Airbus Defence and Space Challenge 2017. This year, the INNOSpace Master Competition theme was: "Space 4.0: Ideas for the next space generation". The ZfT proposal to use advanced manufacturing methods in the production of satellites for advanced space applications ranked first out of 66 proposals submitted. According to Prof. Dr. Klaus Schilling, CEO of ZfT, the application of advanced manufacturing methods is more important now that greater numbers of small satellites will be in demand. The proposal includes joint human-robot processes in manufacturing, and seeks to decrease both production costs and innovation cycle implementation times. Zentrum für Telematik e.V. is the lead partner in the RLS-Small Satellites project. 

Further information about the proposal from Zentrum für Telematik e.V. can be found here. (German only)
Visit the Zentrum für Telematik e.V. website here. 
Learn more about the InnoSpace Masters Competition here. 

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Support from Western Cape for TIM consolidated

During the visit of the Bavarian delegation of Minister of Economics Ilse Aigner to South Africa, a small satellite symposium was held at CPUT in Capetown. It focused on the joint “Telematics International Mission (TIM)” addressing a pico-satellite formation for Earth observation with applications in agriculture, in volcano and in marine monitoring. The presentation took place on 12 April, 2017.

Learn more about TIM here.
Photo: Prof. Herman Steyn (Stellenbosch University) explains  the South African pico-satellites to Minister Ilse Aigner and Prof. Klaus Schilling (Source: RLS-Small Satellites, 2017)

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RLS-Small Satellites Project Meeting at Zentrum für Telematik

The RLS-Small Satellites group met from 24 March to 25 March at the Zentrum für Telematik in Würzburg, Bavaria. Updates from each RLS region were provided. The group discussed the specifics of a series of key aspects for the project over the two days, and set out the next steps to move forward. With the success of this meeting, the group continues to move towards launch.

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RLS-Small Satellites Kick Off Meeting

On Friday, 15th July, 2016, partners from across the RLS regions met for a kick-off meeting of the RLS-Small Satellites project. The consortium features members from all seven RLS regions, and the meeting resulted in fruitful discussions and a plan for the next steps of the project.
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The RLS-Small Satellites group at the 8th RLS Conference in Munich, 2016. (Photo courtesy of RLS-Small Satellites).

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RLS-Small Satellites presented at the 8th RLS Conference

On Friday, 15 July, 2016 , Prof. Klaus Schilling, Bavarian coordinator of the RLS-Small Satellites project, presented the project to the Regional Leaders Summit Conference at the Residenz in Munich. This was part of the RLS-Sciences presentation segment of the conference. Bavarian State Secretary for the Ministry of Economy and Media, Energy and Technology, Franz Josef Pschierer gave the welcoming address. Québec Minister for Economy, Science and Innovation and Minister Responsible for the Digital Strategy Dominique Anglade gave the closing remarks.

Review the RLS-Small Satellites presentation here.

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Prof. Dr. Klaus Schilling presents the RLS-Small Satellites project to the heads of government at the 8th RLS Conference

On 14th July, 2016, Prof. Dr. Klaus Schilling presented the concept for the RLS-Small Satellites project to the seven heads of government from each RLS region, as well the the political delegations, the press, and selected RLS-Science researchers. The presentation described the possibilities for cooperation between all seven regions in the field of pico-satellites, and illustrated the possible uses of such an integrated network. The project seeks to develop an intelligent formation of pico-satellites in orbit for applications in Earth-observation and telecommunication. 

Review the RLS-Small Satellites presentation here.

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3rd International African CubeSat Workshop 2016

The 3rd International African CubeSat Workshop 2016 was successfully held in Cape Town, South Africa from 24 to 26 February, 2016. Hosted by the French South African Institute of Technology at Cape Peninsula University of Technology, the event was also supported by Stellenbosch University. The 3rd IACW focused on relevant topics such as Emerging and Disruptive Technologies, Value Proposition and Business Opportunities, Human Capacity Development, Applications for Sustainability and Prosperity, STEM Education and Awareness, and Space Governance and Policies.

Read more here.


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Small satellite research featured on German national news, ZDF

Research from the Institut für Robotik und Telematik (Institute for Robotics and Telematics) at the Universität Würzburg was featured during a segment on the German national television channel ZDF. Prof. Dr. Klaus Schilling was interviewed about the potential of small satellites for internet in space.

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