GENA-OT 1
The Bundeswehr in Space – Innovative. Fast. Strategic.
Payload of SpaceX’s Transporter-15 mission before the payload fairing was closed.
Credit: SpaceX
Falcon 9 before launch.
Credit: SpaceX
GENA-OT 1 before integration into the launcher.
Credit: OroraTech
Platform
16U – 23 kg
Payloads
4
Altitude
LEO SSO
Launch
Nov. 2025
University of the Bundeswehr Munich Launches Innovative GENA-OT Satellite Mission – A Milestone for German Spaceflight and Technological Sovereignty
GENA-OT is a precursor mission designed to demonstrate advanced space technologies using hosted payloads on a 16U CubeSat. Operating in Low Earth Orbit, the mission provides a realistic environment for testing new concepts and accelerating their readiness for future space applications.
By combining a compact satellite platform with a diverse set of experimental payloads, GENA-OT enables fast, flexible, and cost-efficient technology demonstration in orbit.
Turning Research into Reality — Directly in Orbit.
Credit: OroraTech
Mission Concept
GENA-OT follows a hosted-payload mission concept that clearly separates platform and payload responsibilities.
The satellite platform is developed, manufactured, and operated by OroraTech, while the University of the Bundeswehr Munich supplies and operates the experimental payloads.
This setup combines the reliability of an industrial-grade satellite bus with the agility of research-driven payload development, enabling rapid mission execution and efficient in-orbit experimentation.
From Laboratory Concepts to On-Orbit Performance.
Credit: Space X
Payloads and Experiments
The mission carries multiple payloads provided by UniBw M and its research partners, covering a broad range of key technologies for future space systems. The experiments focus on:
- Satellite communications and networking
- Earth observation and sensor technologies
- Radiation monitoring and protection concepts
- Autonomous and AI-based onboard processing
Among the hosted payloads is support for the ICARUS program, an international initiative for satellite-based wildlife monitoring and global environmental research.
In-Orbit Testbed
GENA-OT is part of a growing in-orbit laboratory operated by UniBw M. The satellite serves as a reusable testbed that allows multiple experiments to run in parallel under real mission conditions.
This in-orbit approach enables early validation of new technologies, short development cycles, and a direct transition from laboratory research to space deployment.
Within the SeRANIS program, GENA-OT acts as a foundational mission for future experimental satellites. Together with upcoming missions, it contributes to the development of a modular, scalable, and publicly accessible space-based research infrastructure.
GENA-OT demonstrates how agile satellite missions can be used to rapidly test, refine, and mature critical space technologies directly in orbit.