BackForward Satellite Programme: TerraSAR 

Programme details
Programme description
  • Series of 4 satellites for all-weather land observation.
  • German programme: DLR responsible of development and operations.
  • The platforms are actively stabilised over 3 axes.
  • The design life time is 5 years.
  • The satellites exploit the dawn-dusk orbit at 6:00.
  • The replacement policy is based on launching satellites in sequence, roughly 6 months before the expected end-of-life of a satellite.
  • See detailed descriptions at: http://www.dlr.de/dlr/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10377/565_read-436/.
Data circulation
  • The data and transmitted to the main receiving station in Neustrelitz and other ones in Okinawa, Ramstein, Miami, Hawai and (after onboard storage) Svalbard.
  • Data are processed in a Payload Ground Segment (PGS) and distributed by Astrium/Infoterra, a part of EADS (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company).
Agencies DLR
Programme lifetime 2007 - 2040
Associated satellites and instruments

Note: red tag => no longer operational , green tag => operational , blue tag => planned