What is ESPACE?


Earth Oriented Space Science and Technology is an international Master's program at the Technical University of Munich focused on Space Engineering and its applications: Earth System Science, Remote Sensing, and Navigation.

What distinguishes ESPACE from other master's programs in related fields is the combination of space engineering and the scientific use of satellite data. Through this, students acquire interdisciplinary knowledge that covers various engineering disciplines such as geodesy, mechanical and electrical engineering, as well as the tools necessary for scientific analysis, including physics, informatics, and geosciences.

ESPACE's primary goal is to educate future satellite application engineers who can bridge technological knowledge with scientific expertise.


"Satellite applications such as car navigation systems, weather predictions, Google EarthTM, and tsunami warnings play an important role in our daily lives. All of these things are made possible by satellites. Many more applications not only for science but also for people's daily lives are expected in the future. If you would like to know more about the inner workings of satellites, their orbits, their sensor systems, about data processing, modeling and interpretation, and use this knowledge for a future career, ESPACE is the right Master's program to choose. ESPACE offers you the chance to work with top professors and lecturers from universities, research institutes and industry in and around Munich while studying at one of Germany's best universities. Our objective is to lead our students toward a future in a real, high technology field and to produce satellite application engineers."

--Professor Reiner Rummel, former ESPACE Director and former Chair of the Institute for Astronomical and Physical Geodesy, TUM


Program overview


  • 📚 Type of Study: Full Time

  • ⏳ Standard Duration of Studies: 4 Semesters

  • 🎓 Credits: 120 ECTS

  • 📍 Main Locations: Munich - Main Campus

  • 📑 Admission Category: Aptitude Procedure for Master's Degree Programs

  • 📅 Start of Degree Program: Winter Semester

  • 📝 Application Period: 01.01 – 31.05

  • 🗣️ Required Language Proficiency: English 

  • 💰Fees:


Structure and specialization


ESPACE offers a 2-year international Master of Science program. The first year provides a strong foundation in space engineering, covering the planning, design, and execution of satellite missions, as well as the scientific methods required to evaluate, analyze, and interpret satellite data. It also includes an introduction to remote sensing, geosciences, and navigation, along with expertise in spacecraft technology, orbital mechanics, and attitude and orbit control.

From the 3rd semester onward, students can specialize in Earth System Science, Remote Sensing, or Navigation, allowing them to develop a focused expertise, which is ultimately shaped through their master’s thesis in the 4th semester.


The three available specializations focus on different applications of satellite data analysis, each aimed at monitoring and understanding our planet.

EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE 🌍

Satellite data forms the basis for studies on global change and the modeling of geophysical processes, such as those related to climate, the water cycle, or geodynamics. A specialization in Earth System Science provides expertise in modeling these complex processes and includes lectures in oceanography, atmospheric physics, and geophysical fluid dynamics, among others


REMOTE SENSING 📡

Remote sensing is a key technology for acquiring geoinformation. It involves the use and interpretation of measurements from various sensors, such as radar, laser, thermal, or optical cameras. Remote sensing data is crucial for understanding and modeling the complex Earth system, environmental monitoring, updating geographic information systems (GIS), and addressing security-related issues, particularly in remote or inaccessible areas.

The Remote Sensing specialization includes lectures on image processing, geoinformation, photogrammetry, and advanced remote sensing.


NAVIGATION 🧭

Today, traffic control and modern logistics rely on reliable navigation systems such as GPS or the European GALILEO system. The key component of these systems is accurate positioning. Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) also play a crucial role in measuring geodynamic processes, including plate motion, deformation monitoring, and precise orbit determination of satellites.

The Navigation specialization provides advanced knowledge of processing techniques and hardware aspects of precise positioning


ESPACE: A Collaborative Initiative


Earth observation satellites play a crucial role in helping us better understand and monitor our environment. Today, researchers in climatology, oceanography, and meteorology, as well as national agencies and logistics companies, rely on up-to-date satellite data. The design, development, and analysis of satellite missions require experts with knowledge not only in spacecraft design and orbit mechanics but also in satellite applications, Earth system science, remote sensing, and navigation.

From an educational perspective, this diversity presents a challenge. Traditional university programs cover parts of this spectrum within different disciplines—such as aerospace engineering, electronic engineering, or geodesy—yet there is little connection between these fields.

To bridge this gap, several institutions in and around Munich combined their expertise to establish a graduate program aimed at educating Satellite Application Engineers. The result was the ESPACE Master's program, founded in 2005.

ESPACE benefits from its location in Munich, a hub of space science and technology. The program is coordinated at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and features outstanding teaching staff from:

  • 🎓Three universities (Technical University of Munich, Ludwig-Maximilian University, University of the Federal Armed Forces)
  • 🔬 Research institutions (such as the German Aerospace Center, DLR, and the German Geodetic Research Institute, TUM-DGFI)
  • 🚀 The space industry (including Airbus Defence and Space, OHB, OroraTech, Isar Aerospace, and many others)

Upon successful completion of all examinations and the Master's thesis, graduates earn the academic title M.Sc. (Master of Science) in Earth Oriented Space Science and Technology.

ESPACE alumni are best described as satellite application engineers, now pursuing careers or PhD studies in national space agencies, the space industry, research institutions, or universities.


For more details on the general structure of ESPACE, please refer to the Degree Program Documentation (available for the winter semester 2019/20  and the winter semester 2024/25). In particular, Chapter 6 provides an overview of the Program Structure.


Institutes contributing to ESPACE


There are several different university departments and institutes in and around Munich that contribute to ESPACE:







Interested in ESPACE? 

Visit the section on how to apply for ESPACE 📝.


 


Within the course of Earth Observation Satellite Mission Data Analysis according to Software Engineering Standards five students of the ESPACE Master’s program submitted a proposal for the Copernicus Masters University Challenge 2018. Their concept of a smart marine safety routing application for small-scale vessels includes the consideration of all kind of environmental and marine traffic factors and is available for PCs as well as mobile phones. The students could convince the jury, and move to the final round by prevailing over a variety of applicants, that came from more than 10 countries.
The Copernicus Masters University Challenge is open for students and research associate from all over the world who submit their innovative Earth observation solutions. 

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