Observatorium Wettzell

The Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy (BKG) in Frankfurt operates the Fundamental Station Wettzell in the Bavarian Forest. This site hosts various measuring systems broadly categorized under geodesy. These include radio telescopes for measuring continental drift using "Very Long Baseline Interferometry," GPS absolute stations within the global network, and telescopes for "Lunar Laser Ranging" and "Satellite Positioning and Tracking" to determine variations in the Earth's gravitational field (GOCE).

In 2006, we installed a 6.15-meter and a 5.3-meter special dome in Wettzell for the Lunar Laser Ranging project and the Satellite Tracking telescopes. Each dome houses an instrument for high-speed satellite tracking, requiring the domes to rotate very quickly.