IABG Foundation Award for Master Thesis of Benedikt Schmidt

At the German Aerospace Congress (Deutscher Luft- und Raumfahrtkonkress, DLRK) 2024 in Hamburg, Benedikt Schmidt received the IABG Foundation Award for his Master thesis "Orbit Determination using Difference of Arrival Measurements". He wrote this thesis in cooperation with the University of Würzburg and the Centre for Telematics (Zentrum für Telematik e.V., ZfT) under the supervision of Prof. Guido Dietl and Eric Jäger. The thesis deals with the precise orbit determination of LEO satellites using Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) and Frequency Difference of Arrival (FDOA) measurements. To do this, it is sufficient to simultaneously receive passive RF signals, such as beacons, which are regularly transmitted by satellites from two or more ground stations. This makes it possible to precisely determine the orbit of many satellites, even uncooperative ones, and, among other things, reduce the risk of collision between them. After the presentation at the DLRK, Benedikt was particularly pleased with the lively interest shown by those present. He is currently endeavouring to continue this research at the ZfT.