ESA Gives the Green Light for the SOVA-S Satellite Mission
Starting in 2030, the European mission will study gravitational waves at an altitude of about 90 kilometers—the University of Augsburg and the DLR are serving as the mission’s scientific leaders
A success for the University of Augsburg in space research: The European Space Agency (ESA) has selected the SOVA-S satellite mission for implementation. The goal is to study the upper atmosphere using a special infrared camera starting in 2030. Scientific leadership rests with Prof. Dr. Michael Bittner, professor of atmospheric remote sensing at the University of Augsburg and department head at the German Aerospace Center (DLR), as well as with Priv.-Doz. Dr. Sabine Wüst of the University of Augsburg and group leader at the DLR. Together, they are responsible for the mission’s scientific objectives, the measurement concept, and the scientific use of the mission data. The University of Augsburg played a key role in the scientific design of the project through the research conducted by the Chair of Atmospheric Remote Sensing. The launch is scheduled for 2030. Overall operational project management rests with the industry partners, led by OHB CzechSpace. It was already announced in May 2025 that SOVA-S was among the finalists in a highly competitive ESA selection process. With this selection, the mission proposal is now becoming a concrete space project. “The fact that SOVA-S is now actually being implemented is a major success for us and, at the same time, a great scientific opportunity. Many years of preparatory research at the University of Augsburg and at the DLR are thus being incorporated into a European satellite mission that will help us understand processes in the upper atmosphere much better,” says Prof. Dr. Michael Bittner. SOVA-S stands for “Satellite Observation of Waves in the Atmosphere – Scout.” The mission aims to observe atmospheric gravity waves on a global scale—specifically in a hard-to-reach altitude range: the transition zone to space at an altitude of approximately 90 kilometers. “These wave-like flows play an important role in climate processes and the interaction between the atmosphere and space. However, they have not been adequately captured in models to date because global observational data are lacking. SOVA-S will provide such data on the activity of gravity waves at the edge of space,” explains Priv.-Doz. Dr. Sabine Wüst. The small satellite will carry a high-resolution infrared camera. It will measure the intensity of the so-called airglow—a faint natural glow in the atmosphere. Changes in this glow make gravitational waves visible and allow conclusions to be drawn about their strength, direction of propagation, and wavelength. Research on this topic has been underway for years at the Augsburg Chair of Atmospheric Remote Sensing. Prof. Dr. Michael Bittner and Priv.-Doz. Dr. Sabine Wüst serve as the mission’s scientific leaders. Together with their team, they have developed the mission’s scientific objectives and defined the technical requirements for the measurements. They are supported in this effort by an independent, international scientific committee, the Science Advisory Group, which is chaired by Prof. Dr. Christian von Savigny of the University of Greifswald. Preparatory work has also been carried out in recent years as part of bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral theses at the University of Augsburg. Overall responsibility for the development, construction, and operation of the satellite lies with an industrial consortium led by OHB CzechSpace. The consortium is carrying out the mission on behalf of ESA in collaboration with the scientific partners. Following its planned launch in 2030, SOVA-S is expected to collect data from a near-Earth orbit for two to five years. This will be followed by a multi-year scientific analysis phase involving numerous research institutions from various countries. The airglow measurements conducted for many years from the ground at the Schneefernerhaus environmental research station on the Zugspitze by the DLR and the University of Augsburg formed an essential scientific basis for the development of the mission concept. After launch, these measurements will also be used to validate the satellite data. “We also plan to coordinate a global ground-based measurement network for concurrent validation,” says Wüst. “With its selection by ESA, SOVA-S is becoming a concrete European space project. For the University of Augsburg and the DLR, this is a clear sign that our long-standing research on the upper atmosphere is also making an impact in the international arena,” says Bittner. tb
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