Spacecraft Operations Course

GSOC aims to share space expertise with people from all areas of the space industry, public agencies and others who would like to enhance their knowledge about spacecraft operations and ground segment design. GSOC has been cooperating with partners like ESA and CNES who contribute lectures to the course.

The Spacecraft Operations Course presents an integrated approach to spacecraft operations and an insight into the various satellite subsystems operations and their interdependencies.The course is of great value to a broad range of companies and organizations involved in the area of spaceflight, including manufacturers, users, insurers and operators.

Course Content

Satellite Mission Operations
Preparation and Execution | Flight Procedures | Operational Aspects | Subsystems | Attitude and Orbit Control | Propulsion | Power and Thermal | Mission Planning

Flight Dynamics
Orbital Dynamics | Attitude Dynamics

Ground Segment
Ground Data System | Ground Station Design and Operations

Special Topics
On-Orbit Servicing | Repeater Operations | Human Spaceflight Mission Operations | Interplanetary Operations |Cubesat Operations

Site Tours
GSOC Control and System Rooms | Weilheim Ground Station

On-Console Trainings
Voice Communications | Flight Procedure Generation | Flight Dynamics | Mission Planning | LEOP Control Room Simulation

Detailed Information

The course is held twice a year - spring and mid October - established since 2000.

Fee in 2025: 2700 Euro including

• Lectures and on-console trainings
• Welcome cocktail on Monday
• Social event (dinner) on Thursday
• Course documentation (hardcover book)
• Bus transfer to Weilheim and back
• as well as lunch and coffee breaks

Duration: Whole day course Monday - Friday

• Lectures between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.
• Loosened up by on-console trainings,
• as well as lunch and coffee breaks

Locations:     

• GSOC Oberpfaffenhofen, lecture hall and control rooms, Münchner Str. 20, 82234 Wessling
• Ground Station Weilheim, Reichenbergstraße 8, 82407 Weilheim

Registration: via contact form on the bottom of this page.

• Selection on a ‚first come - first served‘ basis
• Maximum number of attendees: 18

Organized by Florian Sellmaier, Michael Schmidhuber and Elvira Rosenbaum

Location and accommodation

The Oberpfaffenhofen site of DLR is located approx. 25 km west of Munich, Germany. Please check the map for more details. Accommodation is available in the area around Oberpfaffenhofen or in downtown Munich. Attendees should make their own arrangements. If you need more information please contact us.

Course Manual published as book

The book describes the basic concepts of spaceflight operations, for both, human and unmanned missions. It will be made available to course participants as handout material. Revised 2nd edition, with additional chapters on Flight Procedures, Human Factors, and Ground Station Operation available now.