Germany kicks off TanDEM-X programme

Interavia Business & Technology, Summer, 2006

The German Space Agency DLR--on behalf of he Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology and EADS Astrium--has announced its intention to build a new radar satellite, TanDEM-X. Following the official kick-off, development and manufacturing will start at EADS Astrium's Friedrichshofen plant. TanDEM-X is scheduled for launch in 2009. Together with the almost identical TerraSAR-X which is to be launched in autumn this year, it will form a high-precision radar interferometer.

Like TerraSAR-X, the TanDEM-X project will be carried out within the scope of a public-private partnership between EADS Astrium GmbH and DLR. It settles the utilisation of data for scientific purposes under the management of the DLR institute for microwaves and radar and for commercial purposes, for which Infoterra GmbH, a subsidiary of EADS Astrium GmbH, is exclusively responsible. The spacecraft will cost approximately 85 million [euro], including 56 million [euro] injected by the DLR, 26 million [euro] from EADS Astrium and 3 million [euro] euros to be raised by marketing flight opportunities for further payloads.

With the aid of the tandem formation TerraSAR X/TanDEM-X it will be possible to completely measure the Earth's land surface (150 million k[m.sup.2]) within a period of 2.5 years. For a 12m grid (street width), height information can be determined with an accuracy of < 2 meters.

According to EADS Astrium, the decisive advantage of a satellite-based Earth measurement is the generation of a world-wide, consistent and homogeneous terrain model with no discontinuity at regional or national borders and no inhomogeneities resulting from different measurement procedures and measurement campaigns staggered in time (mosaics).

At present, the procedure is unparalleled and has attracted attention in the USA. EADS Astrium sees TanDEM-X is a key project for demonstrating, safeguarding and extending German competence and competitiveness in the field of satellite-based radar technology.

As of 2010, Germany will possess a digital terrain model of the Earth which can be used for crisis information, GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security), GEOSS (Global Earth Observation System of Systems), and in security-related cooperation agreements.