Articles for "Earth observation"

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Space | 04. July 2016

BIROS to Earth…

Das BIROS-Team im Deutschen-Raumfahrt-Kontrollzentrum (GSOC) in Oberpfaffenhofen
Credit: DLR (CC-BY 3.0)
The BIROS team in the German Space Operations Center (GSOC) in Oberpfaffenhofen

It only took around 15 minutes for BIROS, the small remote sensing satellite, to report back to us for the first time after the successful launch of the Indian PSLV-C34 (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) rocket on 22 June 2016. Prior to this, the microsatellite had separated from the rocket at precisely 507 kilometres.

This initial contact during a flyover above the O’Higgins Station operated by the German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD) in Antarctica was a minor surprise, as it was not entirely certain whether this first connection would be successful. We had firmly expected an initial contact during the flyover above Inuvik Station in North Canada approximately one hour after take-off. But plenty of things had to come together to make this initial contact work: firstly, separation from the rocket had to be precise; secondly, the satellite passed over the ground station at a very flat angle, making the duration of possible contact quite short. So this fleeting sign of life was simply the icing on the cake for our team at the German Space Operations Center (GSOC). BIROS had arrived safe and sound! read more

Space | 09. June 2016 | posted by Julia Heil

BIROS – A small satellite on the move

Credit: DLR (CC-BY 3.0)
Upon its arrival, the BIROS microsatellite had to be removed from its transportation crate

Forty degrees Celsius and approximately 60 percent humidity – these are the weather conditions outside. That is why the BIROS team is happy to work in the cool cleanrooms of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in India for most of the day. They are working out here, as the launch date for the BIROS (Bispectral InfraRed Optical System) microsatellite is drawing near. It is due to be launched from the SDSC on the island of Sriharikota on the south coast of India on 22 June 2016. BIROS and its partner satellite TET-1 (Technologie-Erprobungsträger 1; Technology Experiment Carrier 1) will then orbit Earth at an altitude of 500 kilometres, from where they will each use two infrared cameras to keep an eye on forest fires and other high-temperature events. A great deal of work and coordination effort will have been carried out before BIROS can start its work in space – 10 DLR institutes have been working for three years on preparing the satellites for their mission.

From Adlershof to India

The group of scientists from the DLR Institute of Optical Sensor Systems reached the Indian city of Chennai on 10 May. At that point, BIROS was already at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, some 80 kilometres away, after having been picked up from Berlin-Adlershof on 4 May. The buzzing metropolis of Chennai awaited the scientists and engineers. In 2014, the city was the sixth largest in India with 4.9 million inhabitants – and it is still growing. read more

Space | 30. July 2013 | posted by Ralph Kahle

Formation swapping - Comic about the TanDEM-X mission

An exciting manoeuvre awaits us. In early August (6–8 August 2013), the two TanDEM-X mission satellites will be reversing their formation. Until now, the TanDEM-X satellite has been circling around its twin, TerraSAR-X, in an anti-clockwise direction; after the reversal, it will circle clockwise. read more

Space | 12. February 2013

Landsat 8 – into space on Carnival Monday

For over 40 years, the US Landsat series of satellites has been delivering multispectral and thermal imaging data of the entire planet at a consistent high quality. As a consequence, the Landsat data archive has become an important tool for Earth remote sensing. It has helped to visualise long-term changes on the ground, to explore the influence of mankind on the biosphere and to manage natural resources. read more

Space | 01. August 2012 | posted by Andrea Haag

… And that's a wrap!

Last week was amazing – the largest ever International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS) was held in Munich. With over 2700 participants from 68 countries, and over 2500 scientific presentations, it was an excellent platform for knowledge exchange and the exploration and discussion of topics related to 'Remote Sensing for a Dynamic Earth'. Some of the highlights of the symposium included ESA's Envisat and upcoming Sentinel missions, the future of Earth observation, and last but not least, DLR's TanDEM-X and TerraSAR-X satellites. read more

Other | 25. July 2012

DLR Webcast: Interview with Marwan Younis at IGARSS 2012

DLR Webcast: Interview with Marwan Younis at IGARSS 2012

We are still here at IGARSS, giving you more information about 'Remote Sensing for a Dynamic Earth'. We spoke with Marwan Younis, who took some time from an incredibly tight schedule to answer some questions regarding TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X, as well as Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) technologies. read more

Space | 24. July 2012 | posted by Andrea Haag

A glimpse of IGARSS 2012 through Flickr

A glimpse of IGARSS 2012 through Flickr

Some days ago, before the start of IGARSS 2012, we mentioned that we would try to give you a feel for the symposium. In the past few days, we have been talking to people, visiting stands and capturing some of the essence of this 32nd IGARSS symposium, the second one held in Munich. read more

Space | 23. July 2012

Congratulations! DLR experts receive IEEE award

Congratulations! DLR experts receive IEEE award

DLR scientists had reason to celebrate one month ago – the successful TerraSAR-X mission celebrated its fifth anniversary in space. Today, on 23 July, during the Plenary Session at the International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS 2012) in Munich, the hard work of DLR experts involved in the radar satellite TanDEM-X mission has been recognised. Our DLR colleagues were awarded with the ‘IEEE WRG Baker Paper Award’. This award is given annually to scientists who accomplish extraordinary achievements in the field of electrical engineering and computer science. read more