TanDEM-X

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TanDEM-X

TanDEM-X
Mission type	Radar Imaging
Operator	DLR
COSPAR ID	2010-030A
SATCAT no.	36605
Website	Home
Mission duration	Elapsed: 14 years, 3 months and 1 day
Spacecraft properties
Manufacturer	EADS Astrium Satellites
Start of mission
Launch date	21 June 2010, 02:14:00 (2010-06-21UTC02:14Z) UTC
Rocket	Dnepr
Launch site	Baikonur 109/95
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth

TanDEM-X (TerraSAR-X add-on for Digital Elevation Measurement) is the name of TerraSAR-X's twin satellite, a German Earth observation satellite using SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) - a modern radar imaging technology. Implemented in a Public-Private-Partnership between the German Aerospace centre (DLR) and EADS Astrium (now Airbus Defence and Space), it is a second, almost identical spacecraft to TerraSAR-X (TSX). TanDEM-X (TDX) is also the name of the satellite mission flying the two satellites in a closely controlled formation with typical distances between 250 and 500 m.^[1] The twin satellite constellation allowed the generation of WorldDEM global digital elevation models starting in 2014.