TerraSAR-X Credit - DLR

Scientific/commercial surveillance satellite. equipped with an X-band synthetic aperture radar with 1 meter resolution

TerraSAR-X was built per a March 2002 partnership whereby the Federal Republic of Germany, represented by the German Aerospace Center (DLR), and EADS Astrium GmbH agreed to jointly bear the costs of constructing and implementing this X-band radar satellite. EADS was responsible for the exclusive commercial exploitation of the satellite, while DLR coordinated the scientific use of the data. Total value of the program was approximately ? 130 million, of which DLR funded ? 102 million.

TerraSAR-X was a new generation, high resolution satellite operating in the X-band at 9.65 GHz. Priority observations of any site could be performed within three days. The satellite was based on the successful X-SAR/SIR-C and SRTM missions. The radar had the following operation modes:

• Spotlight mode with 10 x 10 km scenes at a resolution of 1-2 meters
• Strip-map mode with 30 km wide strips at a resolution between 3 and 6 meters
• ScanSAR mode with 100 km wide strips at a resolution of 16 meters

• SAR antenna: 4.8 m x 0.80 x 0.15 m
• Power consumption: 605 W
• Data storage: 256 Gbit
• Data transmission: 300 Mbit/s - X-band downlink
• Orbit: 514 km / 98° inclination sun-synchronous
• Revisit interval: 11 days
• Life time: 5 years

Development Cost $: 190.000 million. Cost Notes: Euro 130 million. Length: 5.00 m (16.40 ft). Basic Diameter: 2.30 m (7.50 ft). Mass: 1,346 kg (2,967 lb). Payload: 394 kg (868 lb). Electrical System: Solar cells. Electric System: 0.61 average kW.

• 2007 June 15 - TerraSAR-X - Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Complex: LC109. Launch Vehicle: R-36M. Mass: 1,346 kg (2,967 lb). Perigee: 499 km (310 mi). Apogee: 512 km (318 mi). Inclination: 97.50 deg.
  Scientific/commercial surveillance satellite. equipped with an X-band synthetic aperture radar with 1 meter resolution