Astrium and DLR Start TerraSAR-X

Bonn/Friedrichshafen, 10 April 2002

* New radar satellite provides data of unprecedented quality
* First satellite built in a public-private partnership
* Exclusive marketing of geo-information by Astrium subsidiary Infoterra

For the first time in Germany, it has been decided to fund and build an Earth observation satellite in a public-private partnership - TerraSAR-X. A corresponding agreement has been signed by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) and the space company Astrium (Friedrichshafen). In 2005, the 1-ton radar satellite shall be launched from Russia in order to provide geo-information of new quality from an altitude of 500 kilometres. DLR will be responsible for scientific use and exclusive commercial marketing of the gathered geo-information will be performed by Infoterra GmbH (Friedrichshafen), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Astrium specialising in the collection and processing of air- and satellite-based data.

The total order for the TerraSAR-X spacecraft amounts to approx. € 130 million covering development, construction and launch. DLR will finance € 102 million and the space company Astrium will contribute € 28 million to implementation. In parallel, the major part of Astrium’s private-enterprise funds flows into the development of geo-information products and their marketing. Astrium and DLR have already spent substantial company-funds for technical development, definition of data products and expansion of ground infrastructure.

“Both partners consider this public-private partnership to be an ideal solution for financing such projects despite restricted public funds,“ states Evert Dudok, Head of Earth Observation & Science division of Astrium. “In this way we safeguard the competitiveness of German industry and open up new markets.“

While Earth observation from space in the past was mainly focussed 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 Astrium studies, the data supplied by the newly developed high-resolution radar instruments (SAR - Synthetic Aperture Radar) are the ideal source material for commercial applications.

The radar satellite TerraSAR-X will deliver “new-quality data” by mid 2005 carrying an active X-band instrument. It allows image resolutions of up to one metre. “Formerly it would have been necessary to turn the head – say the satellite – for obtaining another angle of view. Today we can move “the eyes“ – say the scanning range“, says Wolfgang Pitz, Astrium project manager, for illustrating an advantage of the active antenna. The extensive data streams will be transmitted to Earth via broadband technology. TerraSAR-X will fly on a polar orbit in an altitude of approx. 500 kilometres. As the Earth rotates below this orbit, the satellite will scan all regions of the Earth swath by swath. Priority observations of any site can be performed within three days or even in a shorter time.

At Infoterra GmbH, innovative products and delivery chains have already been developed in close co-operation with customers, researchers and specialised partner companies. Even before the launch of TerraSAR-X these will be tested on the marketplace. “By 2010, estimated annual revenues of more than € 40 million will be expected for TerraSAR-X based services“ says Jörg Herrmann, managing director of Infoterra.

TerraSAR-X data and products will play an important role also for the European GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) programme.

For more than two decades, X-band radar technology has been consequently promoted and developed in Germany. Thus, TerraSAR-X also represents a present climax of a long development which has resulted in successful space missions, e.g. the national SAR missions X-SAR in 1994 and SRTM in 2000. These had been experimental short-term missions whereas TerraSAR-X will now provide operational satellite service for scientific and commercial applications.

By 2007, it is planned to integrate TerraSAR-X into an expanded overall concept consisting of an X- and L-band component. The “second frequency“ will allow the generation of further thematic information, thus opening up a multitude of further applications. The L-band satellite shall be implemented under an ESA project.

Europe’s leading space company Astrium is a joint venture owned 75 per cent by EADS European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company and 25 per cent by BAE SYSTEMS. With 8,400 employees in France, Germany, U.K. and Spain, Astrium recorded revenues of EUR 1.9 billion in the fields of science and Earth observation, telecommunications, navigation, ground stations, military programmes, launchers and space infrastructure.

Friedrichshafen, April 10, 2002 / 02014

For further information , please contact:
ASTRIUM (FR)
Rémi ROLAND
++33 (0) 34 88 35 78

ASTRIUM (UK)
Alistair SCOTT
++44 (0) 1438 773698

ASTRIUM (GER)
Mathias PIKELJ
Mathias SPUDE
++49 (0) 7545 8 91 23
++49 (0421)539-5710

TerraSAR-X at a glance:

Height:	5.0 m
Diameter:	2.3 m
Launch mass: of which payload:	1,023 kg 394 kg
SAR antenna:	4.8 m x 0.80 x 0.15 m
Resolution:	1 m for 5 x 10 km scene
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

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