Method for determining a spatial alignment of an autocollimation target having a reflective surface, in particular a coated plane mirror, with a telescope of a robotic surveying instrument, said telescope defining an optical axis, wherein the surveying instrument has a base and an upper part mounted on the base in a manner rotatable about a rotation axis in a motorized manner, and wherein the telescope is mounted on the upper part in a manner pivotable about a pivoting axis in a motorized manner, comprising • a) aligning the telescope with the autocollimation target; • b) illuminating a reticle in the telescope, in particular wherein at least one region directly surrounding the reticle is illuminated substantially uniformly; • c) focusing the telescope at infinity; • d) acquiring a mirror image - generated at the reflective surface - of the illuminated reticle by means of an electronic image acquisition device arranged in the telescope; • e) determining the reticle center point of the acquired mirror image of the illuminated reticle in the image; • f) determining the horizontal (Δpx) and the vertical (Δpy) distance of the reticle center point from a predetermined pixel position, in particular the pixel position of the optical axis, in the image; and • g) converting the horizontal (Δpx) and the vertical (Δpy) distance of the reticle center point into a horizontal (ΔH) and a vertical (ΔV) deviation angle of the current alignment of the telescope from an alignment of the telescope that is perpendicular to the reflective surface of the autocollimation target; wherein for determining the spatial alignment of the autocollimation target, an autocollimation, as alignment of the telescope in such a way that the optical axis is perpendicular to the reflective surface of the autocollimation target, is effected, wherein in detail the following are carried out • h) motorized movement of the telescope relative to the base depending on the horizontal (ΔH) and the vertical (ΔV) deviation angle in such a way that the optical axis is perpendicular to the autocollimation target, • i) measurement of the horizontal angle and the vertical angle of the autocollimated telescope, and • j) calculation of the inclination angle and the orientation angle of the autocollimation target from the measured horizontal angle and vertical angle. • a) aligning the telescope with the autocollimation target; • b) illuminating a reticle in the telescope, in particular wherein at least one region directly surrounding the reticle is illuminated substantially uniformly; • c) focusing the telescope at infinity; • d) acquiring a mirror image - generated at the reflective surface - of the illuminated reticle by means of an electronic image acquisition device arranged in the telescope; • e) determining the reticle center point of the acquired mirror image of the illuminated reticle in the image; • f) determining the horizontal (Δpx) and the vertical (Δpy) distance of the reticle center point from a predetermined pixel position, in particular the pixel position of the optical axis, in the image; and • g) converting the horizontal (Δpx) and the vertical (Δpy) distance of the reticle center point into a horizontal (ΔH) and a vertical (ΔV) deviation angle of the current alignment of the telescope from an alignment of the telescope that is perpendicular to the reflective surface of the autocollimation target; wherein for determining the spatial alignment of the autocollimation target, an autocollimation, as alignment of the telescope in such a way that the optical axis is perpendicular to the reflective surface of the autocollimation target, is effected, wherein in detail the following are carried out • h) motorized movement of the telescope relative to the base depending on the horizontal (ΔH) and the vertical (ΔV) deviation angle in such a way that the optical axis is perpendicular to the autocollimation target, • i) measurement of the horizontal angle and the vertical angle of the autocollimated telescope, and • j) calculation of the inclination angle and the orientation angle of the autocollimation target from the measured horizontal angle and vertical angle.