The telescope aboard a Boeing 747 measures nearly three meters in diameter and weighs 20 tons. With it, the U.S. space agency NASA, together with the German Aerospace Center (DLR), aims to observe the formation of young star and planetary systems. The project, often referred to as an airborne observatory, relies on advanced technology for its operation.
To support this, the Oldenburg-based company "ERPwerk" is currently developing a maintenance software system. ERPwerk was awarded the contract on October 13, 2008.
“With our software, we manage over 10,000 individual components for the maintenance of the airborne observatory,”
explains ERPwerk CEO Ulf Klarmann, highlighting the scale of the task.
In addition to maintenance, the software is also designed to handle inventory management, documentation, ordering systems, and project management for the joint NASA-DLR initiative.
“The software must be operable from anywhere in the world,” adds Klarmann, underlining the global nature of the operations.
Interestingly, the initiative to involve ERPwerk did not come directly from NASA or DLR, but from the German SOFIA Institute (DSI). The DSI, located at the University of Stuttgart, coordinates both the completion and operational management of the airborne observatory SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) on behalf of the DLR.
“What’s especially important for us is that the software represents a holistic solution that takes into account the existing infrastructure,”
explains Nadine Hanisch, who is responsible for logistics and warehouse management at the SOFIA Institute, when describing the requirements the software must meet.
Other key aspects, according to Hanisch, were interface compatibility and modularity. The software must be adaptable to future processes and capable of being customized specifically for SOFIA.
Ulf Klarmann suspects that cost also played a role in the decision:
“We combine various ready-made software modules – known as standard components – to create the solution.”
This results in custom software solutions based on open-source platforms.
“That’s usually more cost-effective than purchasing off-the-shelf software and then modifying it to fit the customer’s needs,” Klarmann explains.
The software is scheduled to be completed and operational by the end of 2009.
Hiring Notice
For this and other projects, Klarmann is still looking for personnel.
Programmers with Delphi expertise are invited to contact him directly:
📞 +49 441 777 729
📧 kontakt@erpwerk.de.
