The Earth Observation Center (EOC) is actively involved in various earth observation missions. DFD is operating one of the four European Processing and Archiving Facilities (PAF) for the radar missions ERS-1 and ERS-2. Raw data from these missions are processed to pre-defined standard and value-added products, using algorithms specifically designed for this purpose by DLR scientists. This engagement for ESA has been continued with the Processing and Archiving Center (PAC) for ENVISAT. The PAC handles data from several of the ten ENVISAT instruments, namely the radar sensor ASAR and the atmospheric sensors SCIAMACHY, MIPAS and GOMOS, producing high level products from raw data and offering other services. Cooperation with NASA covers the shuttle missions D1, D2, X-SAR and SRTM.
In the national context the EOC provides the ground segment for the German radar missions TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X, and the upcoming hyperspectral mission EnMAP. DFD also coordinates the scientific evaluation programs for these public private partnership missions. The primary interest is always on utilization and application of the information derived from the data. This also applies to science missions such as CHAMP, BIRD and GRACE, the reference station for navigation and positioning of GPS and GLONASS, data of the meteorological NOAA and Meteosat series, and the instrument MODIS on board the U.S. satellites TERRA and AQUA. Supplementary are contributions to the atmospheric missions METOP and ADM-Aeolus, for which data processors have been developed.
On behalf of commercial satellite operators, DFD receives and archives data from the Indian missions IRS-1C/1D and P3 and the high resolution optical systems IKONOS and WorldView-2.