Impact of TDX-1 Roll Steering on SAR Performance during TDM HDEM Phase

Abstract

This technical note summarizes the effect of the TanDEM-X HDEM Phase formations on the roll steering mechanism. The analyses became necessary since unique formations of the free flying TanDEM-X interferometer different from the ones flown up to now for the global DEM acquisition will be employed during the HDEM Phase. The challenges explicitly arise from large cross track baselines in a bistatic configuration. The tools developed for the TanDEM-X Science Phase formations are also used for the HDEM phase. The output of the described analyses is a proposal for the attitude steering table update sequence during the TanDEM-X HDEM Phase based on performance considerations. Practical considerations like a maximum feasible update rate of the space-craft table are also taken into account.