After studies of astronomy, mathematics and geodesy he worked in Germany and later in the National Survey of Austria.
Later he set up the scientific department of the Federal Office for Metrology and Survey (BEV), Vienna.
In 1958/59, Ledersteger was the first geodesist in Central Europe who published on the future fields of satellite geodesy.
Other topics of his research were: Ledersteger was in intensive contact with the scientific community of whole Europe, US and Russia (e.g. Viktor Ambartsumian, B. Gutenberg, F. Hopfner, W. Heiskanen, M. Kneissl, Sir Harold Jeffreys, Vening Meinesz, H. Moritz, A. Prey, H. H. Schmid, E. Wiechert and S. Zhongolovitch).
In Vienna he was asked to begin geodetic lectures immediately after World War II, but his professorship was postponed for 10 years because of his participation in Nazi surveys 1940–1945.