TerraSAR-X Mission: The New Generation in High Resolution Satellites
- Paper number
IAC-07-B1.2.01
- Author
Mrs. Alejandra Gonzalez, Infoterra GmbH, Germany
- Coauthor
Fifamè Koudogbo, Infoterra GmbH, Germany
- Coauthor
Mr. Jorg Herrmann, Infoterra GmbH, Germany
- Year
2007
- Abstract
While radar based Earth observation from space in the past was mainly focused on scientific purposes, today data and the derived information products are increasingly used for various commercial applications. For example, potential users are planning and consulting offices, food and natural resource industries, insurance companies or agencies. However, from a customer’s point of view, the data and information supplied by current satellite missions have one considerable drawback: they only partially meet their requirements. New data of enhanced quality are therefore needed for an increasing and sustained commercial exploitation of Earth observation data. They must be more detailed, have a better thematic accuracy, and must be delivered faster and reliably independent of weather conditions and cloud coverage. According to market studies, the data supplied by the newly developed high-resolution radar instruments (SAR - Synthetic Aperture Radar) are the ideal source for commercial applications. TerraSAR-X is a German remote sensing satellite program which will be the first commercially available radar satellite- cloud independent- to offer one meter resolution. The technologies involved are capitalizing on the long experience of EADS Astrium in spaceborne synthetic aperture radar systems (SIR-C/X-SAR, SRTM, ERS, ASAR) as well as on German national technology developments that brought the active phased array X-band to space qualification level in 2000. The most challenging element, the X-band SAR sensor, has been successfully tested as engineering model since November 2003. The start of operational services will commence in the second quarter of 2007 following the launch scheduled for the first quarter of 2007. TerraSAR-X is the first satellite ever to be built in a Public Private Partnership (PPP) in Germany. In this partnership, the Federal Republic of Germany, represented by the German Aerospace Center (DLR), and Europe’s leading satellite company EADS Astrium GmbH have agreed to jointly bear the costs of constructing and implementing this X-band radar satellite. The major part of EADS-Astrium’s private-enterprise funds flowed into the development of geo-information products and marketing, including the founding of the 100
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
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