TanDEM-X radar satellite deployed in space
21 June 2010
The TanDEM-X radar satellite was successfully launched early this morning. At 04:14 hours CEST (08:14 hours local time), a Russian Dnepr launch vehicle carrying the huge satellite, which has a launch mass of more than 1.3 metric tons and measures five metres in length, lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Around ten minutes later, the satellite separated from the launch vehicle’s upper stage. The first signals from the satellite were received by the Norwegian “Troll” ground station in Antarctica
at 04:45 hours.
TanDEM-X will operate in tandem with its almost identical twin, the TerraSAR-X satellite that became operational in 2007. Together, the pair of satellites will survey the entire surface of the Earth from an altitude of 514 kilometres. They will pass over each region many times, gathering data with which to construct an elevation model of the globe – covering no less than 150 million square kilometres.
“After this auspicious start to the mission, the new project to map our planet in three dimensions can finally begin,” said Astrium Satellites CEO Evert Dudok. “With the two Astrium-built satellites flying in formation, it will be possible to produce a digital elevation model of the Earth to an accuracy of better than two meters. This level of quality has never been achieved before.”
The success of TanDEM-X is a reflection of Astrium’s expertise in satellite-based radar technology and will add to the company’s competitive strength, also in the field of geo-information services.
Dudok adds: “Astrium has invested heavily in this project, with the aim of generating new business. TanDEM-X/TerraSAR-X are the product of a public-private partnership between the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) and Astrium."
The total estimated cost of the TanDEM-X mission amounts to €165 million. Of this sum, the DLR will contribute €125 million, while the European space company Astrium will provide the remaining €40 million from its own resources. The TanDEM-X mission is being implemented and jointly financed by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) and Astrium GmbH under the terms of a public-private partnership (PPP) agreement and with the support of the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi). Astrium subsidiary Infoterra GmbH is responsible for the commercial marketing of the TanDEM-X elevation model.
About TanDEM-X
TanDEM-X is project jointly implemented by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) and Astrium GmbH, Friedrichshafen, under the terms of a public-private partnership (PPP) agreement and with the financial support of the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi).
The principle aim of the TanDEM-X mission (TerraSAR-X add-on for Digital Elevation Measurement) is to gather data with which to construct a digital elevation model of the globe. Flying in close formation, at a distance of only a few hundred metres apart, the TanDEM-X satellite and its almost identical twin, the TerraSAR-X satellite launched on 15 June 2007, together form the first configurable SAR interferometer (SAR = Synthetic Aperture Radar) in space. A further element of the TanDEM-X system is the powerful ground segment, closely interfaced with that of TerraSAR-X, which provides all of the functions required to control and monitor this complex mission. With the two satellites flying in formation and operating in parallel, it will take three years to gather data on the entire surface of the Earth.
The DLR is responsible for the scientific exploitation of the data sent back by TanDEM-X, mission planning and execution, satellite flight control, and compilation of the digital elevation model. Astrium constructed the satellite and is responsible for part of the development and exploitation costs. As in the case of TerraSAR-X, Astrium subsidiary Infoterra GmbH is responsible for the commercial marketing of the data gathered by TanDEM-X.
The cost of marketing the data and derivative products is shared between the DLR and Astrium as defined in the PPP agreement, as in the case of the TerraSAR-X twin satellite. Infoterra GmbH, created in 2001 for the express purpose of marketing elevation data gathered by TerraSAR-X, will also be responsible for supplying customers around the world with data obtained from TanDEM-X. Since TerraSAR-X went into operation in early 2008, Infoterra has built up a sales network serving more than 50 partners in 33 countries to complement its already sound position in the international market for Earth observation data and services. This same established sales network will be used to market TanDEM-X data and products. Applications for TerraSAR-X/TanDEM-X data are many and varied, and include improving the efficiency of oil, gas and mineral extraction operations, optimising the deployment of crisis response forces, predicting the impact of natural disasters, and more precise mission planning for the deployment of defence and security units. Above all, national cartographic agencies will be able to take advantage of the more precise elevation data to improve the accuracy of their published maps.
