The TerraSAR-X Mission and System Design

This paper describes the TerraSAR-X mission concept within the context of a public–private partnership (PPP) agreement between the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the industry. It briefly describes the PPP concept as well as the overall project organization. This paper then gives an overview of the satellite design and the corresponding ground segment, as well as the main mission parameters. After a short introduction to the scientific and commercial exploitation scheme, this paper finally focuses on the mission accomplishments achieved so far during the ongoing mission.