Signal Processing

Prof. Andreas Knopp appointed to DLR Program Committee on Security and Defense

Bonn, July 15, 2025 – Prof. Andreas Knopp has been appointed to the “Security and Defense” program committee of the German Aerospace Center (DLR). The committee supports the DLR in the strategic orientation and scientific-technical evaluation of projects in this security-related research area.
Prof. Knopp, spokesperson for the SPACE Research Center at the University of the Bundeswehr Munich, is a recognized expert in satellite-based communications, military communications systems, and secure information transmission. With his appointment, he brings many years of experience in research, development, and collaboration with government and industrial partners to the committee.
“I am delighted to have been given this vote of confidence and the opportunity to serve on the program committee. The German Space Agency at DLR makes an important contribution to security and defense-related research, particularly through tailor-made and highly topical national funding programs aimed at achieving technological sovereignty and resilience for Germany,” said Prof. Knopp on the occasion of his appointment. “It is a great honor for us to be involved in the design of such programs in a new program committee and to contribute our many years of experience as pioneers in security-oriented space research.”
The newly established “Security and Defense” program committee, created in response to the heightened security situation, is a central body of the German Space Agency at DLR that regularly discusses research priorities and makes recommendations for the further development of the program.

Successful Demonstration of Emergency Satellite Communications for Climate-Driven Disasters

On July 10, 2025, the University of the Bundeswehr Munich had the pleasure of hosting ND Satcom and project partners at our Munich Center for Space Communications for a successful demonstration as part of the SIGMA project Germany demo.
The live demo simulated a real-world emergency scenario: a massive landslide in the Alpine region triggered by climate change. In this setting, traditional ground communication networks were assumed to be disrupted—posing a serious challenge for rescue operations in the area.
To overcome this, ND Satcom deployed mobile satellite terminals capable of re-establishing critical communications even in the absence of terrestrial infrastructure. The demonstration featured a seamless transition between communication channels: from a 5G terrestrial link to the Ka-band civil satellite link, and finally to the X-band in the event of further outages. Protocols tested included VoIP, file transfers, and live video streaming—vital tools in any emergency response.
The event was conducted in collaboration with partners from INSTER, Cipherbit, and Telespazio, and was observed by representatives from EUSPA. Their presence and interest underscore the growing importance of robust satellite-based emergency communication systems in an era of increasingly frequent climate-related disasters.
The successful demo marked a key milestone in the SIGMA project and highlighted the strength of international cooperation and cutting-edge technology in advancing resilient communication infrastructure.

Third HARMONY Network-Wide Event

June 2-6, 2025: The third network-wide event of the Horizon Europe HARMONY project took place from June 2nd to June 6th, 2025, at the University of the Bundeswehr Munich (UniBw M). HARMONY is an industrial doctoral network funded by the European Commission and coordinated by UniBw M. It consists of nine doctoral candidates and their supervisors, who are conducting research on key enabling technologies for future satellite systems. Industrial partners include Thales Alenia Space (France and Spain), Kongsberg NanoAvionics (Lithuania), MBI s.r.l. (Italy), and LSS GmbH (Germany). The consortium is completed by the academic partners: in addition to UniBw M, Heriot-Watt University and IETR, CNRS (France) are also involved.
Following the two previous project gatherings held in Toulouse (2023) and Rennes (2024), France, this event served as an excellent opportunity for HARMONY doctoral candidates and their supervisors to exchange insights on their research activities and strengthen synergies between the individual projects. As most HARMONY doctoral candidates are now entering the final year of their doctoral journey, the event fostered thorough and highly productive discussions on the final steps of their research. These conversations aimed to maximize the value of the HARMONY outcomes and ensure that future research and development efforts can build upon these results. In addition to these internal exchanges among project partners, the HARMONY candidates presented their research during a dedicated one-day workshop open to UniBw M researchers, allowing for further enriching dialogue. The workshop program was complemented by presentations from UniBw M researchers and invited guests from the GLITTER project—another Horizon Europe doctoral network coordinated by Prof. Christophe Craeye from the Catholic University of Louvain.
Throughout the week, several keynote speakers also enriched the program with insightful talks. Prof. Schilling from the Center of Telematics in Würzburg opened the event with his presentation “New Space Approaches to S5: Smart, Small, Self-organizing Satellite Systems,” offering a deep dive into multi-satellite missions his institute is or has been involved in. His research interests closely align with HARMONY’s focus, making his contribution particularly valuable for participants exploring robust and cost-efficient distributed satellite systems. Another highlight was Prof. Roger Förstner from the Institute of Space Technology and Space Applications at UniBw M. In his talk “Ready for Review!? The Path to a Successful PDR,” he shared practical advice on achieving Preliminary Design Review (PDR) readiness for New Space missions. The program also included an entrepreneurial perspective, with Stephanie Wißmann—co-founder and managing director of the start-up Secublox—delivering the presentation “Entrepreneurship in Space-Tech and Defence – Why You Should Think About Starting Up.”
Training during the event extended beyond presentations, notably through a hands-on activity focused on designing a satellite mission for direct-to-device connectivity up to preliminary design review (PDR) maturity. This so-called Space Mission Analysis and Design (SMAD) activity is a central component of HARMONY’s training approach. It promotes interdisciplinary collaboration and teamwork—crucial skills for future engineers working on complex satellite missions. The outcomes of this activity will be documented in a public deliverable of the HARMONY project.
Overall, the HARMONY network-wide event proved to be an extremely productive week for all participants. The event concluded with a visit to the production facilities of LSS GmbH, manufacturer of deployable reflector antennas. Many thanks to Dr. Leri Datashvili, CEO & Chief Designer of the company, for the engaging guided tour on the design of deployable reflector antennas!
If you want to learn more about the HARMONY project, you can visit the project website and the LinkedIn page.