Ten Years of TerraSAR-X Operations

Abstract

The satellite of the TerraSAR-X mission, called TSX, was launched on 15 June 2007 and its identically constructed twin satellite TDX, which is required by the mission TanDEM-X, launched on 21 June 2010. Together they supply high-quality radar data in order to serve two mission goals: Scientific observation of Earth and the provisioning of remote sensing data for the commercial market (TerraSAR-X mission) and the generation of a global digital elevation model (DEM) of Earth’s surface (TanDEM-X mission). On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the mission, the focus will be on the development of the TerraSAR-X system during this period, including the extension of the ground segment, the evolution of the product portfolio, dedicated mission campaigns, radar experiments, refinement of the satellite operations and orbit control, and the results of the performance monitoring. Despite numerous interventions in the overall system, we managed to incorporate new scientific and commercial requirements and to improve and enhance the overall system in order to fulfill the increasing demand for Earth observation data without noticeable interruptions to ongoing operations.

Keywords

• radar
• satellite
• remote sensing
• SAR
• TerraSAR-X
• operations
• ground segment
• orbit
• mission