The German Space Operations Center (GSOC; german: Deutsches Raumfahrt-Kontrollzentrum) is the
mission control center of
German Aerospace Center
The German Aerospace Center (german: Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V., abbreviated DLR, literally ''German Center for Air- and Space-flight'') is the national center for aerospace, energy and transportation research of Germany ...
(DLR) in
Oberpfaffenhofen near
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
.
Tasks
The GSOC performs the following tasks in national and international spaceflight:
*Operation of
scientific satellites
*Operation of commercial satellites
*Operation of
human spaceflight
*Expansion and operation of the communication infrastructure
*Research and development of new technologies in the field of space operations
History
After the
Federal Republic of Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated between ...
decided in the 1960s to launch a national space program and to participate in international space projects, the idea of having its own space control center became concrete. In 1967, then Federal Minister of Finance
Franz Josef Strauss laid the foundation stone for the first building complex, which was also opened a little later.
Until 1985, the Oberpfaffenhofen site of the then German Aerospace Research and Testing Institute (DFVLR) increasingly concentrated on spaceflight. The
human spaceflight received special attention. Indeed, the GSOC then accompanied two crewed missions: During
STS-61-A in 1985, GSOC took over the control of the
Spacelab
Spacelab was a reusable laboratory developed by European Space Agency (ESA) and used on certain spaceflights flown by the Space Shuttle. The laboratory comprised multiple components, including a pressurized module, an unpressurized carrier, ...
, while flight control continued from
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...
's
Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center was acquired. For the first time, the Payload Operation Control Center (POCC) of a US space mission was directed outside of NASA. This also means that, for the first time, a human spaceflight was (partially) monitored from outside the USA or the Soviet Union.
During this mission, then Bavarian Prime Minister Franz Josef Strauss announced on 5 November 1985 an extensive investment program with which the role of Oberpfaffenhofen in European spaceflight should be increased.
But the failure of
Ariane 3
Ariane 3 was a European expendable carrier rocket, which was used for eleven launches between 1984 and 1989. It was a member of the Ariane family of rockets. The principal manufacturer for the Ariane 3 was Aérospatiale, while the lead agency ...
in 1985 and the
''Challenger'' disaster in 1986 slowed the development of the Oberpfaffenhofen and thus the GSOC. Nevertheless, the investment program also gave the GSOC a new building (Building 140), the construction began on 4 April 1989.
In 1993, GSOC accompanied the entire operation with
STS-55 and had full payload control via the Spacelab. This was the first time that there was unfiltered access to all data.
Missions operated by GSOC
Crewed missions
Earth Observation and Science
Communication and Navigation
See also
*
German space programme
References
External links
The German Space Operations Center
{{Authority control
Space programme of Germany