Master Thesis (d/f/m): Altimetry-Only Orbit Determination for Earth-Observation Missions

Job Description:

In order to support AOCS/GNC & Flight Dynamics, Airbus Defence and Space is looking for a

Master student in the field of AOCS/GNC & Flight Dynamics (d/f/m), title of thesis: Altimetry-Only Orbit Determination for Earth-Observation Missions

You are looking for a master thesis and want to get to know the work of a job title? Then apply now! We look forward to you supporting us in the AOCS/GNC & Flight Dynamics department as a Master Student(d/f/m)!

• Location: Friedrichshafen
  
• Start: October 2026
  
• Duration: 6 months
  

The AOCS, GNC & Flight Dynamics department is the center of competence in Airbus for attitude and orbit control systems (AOCS), Guidance/Navigation/Control (GNC), flight dynamics, and control engineering for all kinds of spacecraft. This includes among others modelling, design, synthesis, and verification & validation of the AOCS/GNC systems.

As a Master student you will learn about ...

Advanced space dynamics, non-linear state estimation, spacecraft navigation architectures, geospatial data processing, modern systems programming architecture

Thesis Topic

Precise Orbit Determination (POD) is a fundamental prerequisite for scientific Earth-observing missions. Currently, this process relies heavily on continuous, high-density Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) measurements. In the event of GNSS outages, alternative observation methods are required to bridge the data gap and constrain the orbit dynamics.

This master’s thesis explores the viability of laser altimetry as an independent backup navigation system. The proposed measurement principle relies on comparing the altitude acquired by a laser altimeter against a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) to derive the navigation solution. A significant methodological challenge arises from the non-linear and non-differentiable nature of DEM data, which renders the standard Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) unsuitable. To overcome this, the candidate will investigate alternative non-linear state estimation techniques, primarily focusing on the implementation of a Particle Filter. The core research objectives are twofold: first, to determine whether the POD state is fully observable relying exclusively on laser altimeter measurements; and second, to quantify the impact of various error sources - specifically measurement noise, altimeter bias, and pointing (attitude) uncertainty - on the overall quality and stability of the navigation solution.