Germany – Astronomical and optical instruments – GSSAC Laser Ranging System +3

The German Space Agency at the German Aerospace Center e.V. (RFA at DLR e.V.), in the Space Situational Awareness division, plans to procure three essentially identical, commercially available turnkey ground stations for Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) and Space Debris Laser Ranging (SDLR), including control systems and control software. The ground stations must have a technology readiness level of at least 8 (TRL8+), i.e., no (new) development, and the system design as well as verified and validated reference system(s) must already exist. The operating and control software must already be successfully in use in existing (reference) systems. The objective of this project is to integrate and commission three (semi-fixed) systems, which can be used for both SLR and SDLR, at separate locations outside Europe. These systems are to be connected to the Space Situational Awareness Centre (WRLageZ) and enable high-precision distance measurements for cooperative objects, with geodetic measurement accuracy, in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) (e.g. Galileo) and Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO), as well as for non-cooperative objects in LEO. The systems must be designed for fully automated 24/7 measurement operation and be able to carry out observations both at night and during the day. Measurement data must be processed fully automatically and made available to the WRLageZ in standardized form. Commissioned observations must be carried out independently, taking into account environmental influences and laser safety, particularly for air traffic. In addition to laser ranging, the systems must be able to carry out passive-optical observations for orbit tracking and to create light curves of the tracked objects. The orbit data obtained should be incorporated into the German orbit data catalog produced at the WRLageZ and made available to national and international cooperation partners. This data also forms the basis for the further development of national capabilities for operational space surveillance in the field of SLR and SDLR. Laser ranging systems are complementary to telescopes and radar systems and can be used for the high-precision determination of orbital paths of individual objects in the event of approaches or routinely for catalog improvement and maintenance. Since small and very small satellites are increasingly being equipped with laser retroreflectors, regular measurement with SLR also makes a valuable contribution to Space Traffic Management and the sustainable use of space by predicting approaches more accurately and thus minimizing the number of evasive maneuvers, even by larger payloads. The following activities are planned in detail: a. Site search, evaluation and provision in coordination with the client, b. Integration of three fully automated SLR and SDLR systems, c. Transport of the three systems to the locations selected by the client, d. Installation, commissioning and validation of the three systems at the destination sites. A period of a maximum of 41 months is envisaged for the implementation of the task, probably starting in July/August 2026.