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GEORG is the upcoming very high resolution optical EO system of Germany. It will be in service of the Federal Intelligence Service of Germany (BND). At 20-30cm it not only the first optical VHR system built in Germany it is also one of the best in the world. Obviously whether it is a good idea…

When EnMAP was envisioned by the German Aerospace Center in 2006 its aim was spectacular. It was planned to bring Germany on the forefront of hyper-spectral imaging. Today more than a decade later the satellite is not yet launched. Why? Let’s have a look! Introduction Before looking at the EnMAP satellite we will establish what…

Germany prides itself to have some of the best satellites in the world. However in a very German strife for perfection we often wait more than a decade until they become available. I would argue, that for those who wait for that capacity – good enough today is better than perfect tomorrow. Unfortunately, since it…

My article about HydroGNSS reminded me that sometime before founding Berlin Space Technologies (BST) I had the privilege to oversee three industry led feasibility studies on small satellites for GNSS Occultation/Reflectometry, Precise Orbit Determination (POD) and Very Longe Baseline Interferometry (VLBI). The intended customer of the mission was the GFZ – Helmholtz Centre Potsdam (GFZ). Planned from…

Sometimes in life you are being asked a unique question and you can but wonder; why did I not think of this earlier. This is one of these times: in August this year I was approached by a good friend who is currently building a constellation for earth observation. He was wondering for all the…

I will start this article with a simple question: does an European company that sends a design document or a satellite to the European Space Agency (ESA) require an export license for the same? The obvious answer seems to be “no, never” but is that really the case? Since in the last month I dug…