The collaborative project between Bochum University of Applied Sciences, the University of Würzburg, and the Technical University of Darmstadt provides students and high school students with hands-on access to modern small satellite technologies.

Bochum University of Applied Sciences (HSBO), in collaboration with the University of Würzburg and Darmstadt Technical University, has launched the joint project STARK – Student Technology and Training Initiative for Space and Small Satellites. Funded by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) with funding from the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), the project is scheduled to run for three years and began in August 2026. The aim is to provide students and school pupils with practical and accessible access to modern small satellite technologies, thereby helping to train future specialists for the growing NewSpace sector.

Under the leadership of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Inka Mueller and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Daniel Schilberg, the Bochum team is developing the BOcketQube as part of the ‘ERMINAZ’ sub-project – a cost-effective and freely accessible open-source hardware platform for training in satellite technology. It enables the practical testing of the fundamental technologies and operational principles of small satellites without the high costs and technical hurdles associated with an actual satellite launch. The kits and materials developed are subsequently to be made freely available to other educational institutions.

The cooperation partners involved are ESERO Germany at Ruhr University Bochum, represented by the Interdisciplinary Geoinformation Sciences Research Group, and the Bochum Observatory, which serves as the headquarters of AMSAT Germany (AMSAT-DL).