The TanDEM-X Mission

TanDEM-X is Germany's first national X-band SAR interferometry mission based on the TerraSAR-X satellite (TSX) and a modified rebuilt named TanDEM-X (TDX). Beginning 2010, for a period of at least five years the mission will supply high-resolution radar data and a global DEM of the Earth for scientific and commercial purposes. The project is realized in a public private partnership between the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) and EADS Astrium GmbH. This paper describes the TanDEM-X concept in the context of previous national SAR-activities and the overall project organization. The mission and system design is presented, followed by the actual project schedule. An outlook on future activities concludes the paper.