The TerraSAR-L basic product tree

The TerraSAR-L system, currently being designed in a Phase B definition study, provides ESA with its most powerful radar-imaging programme to date. The platform is optimized for and built around the 11 mtimes2.9 m active phased array antenna of the L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (L-SAR). The L-SAR features, on top of standard Stripmap and ScanSAR operations, full polarimetric capabilities, repeat-pass ScanSAR interferometry and a Wave Mode. Specification of the L-SAR has been guided by a careful analysis of the product requirements resulting in a robust baseline design with considerable margins. Besides, a major contribution to applications in areas of climate change and oceanography, the TerraSAR-L design responds specifically to requirements from interferometric applications. One key element of the TerraSAR-L operations strategy is a long-term systematic and repetitive acquisition scenario to ensure consistent data archives and to maximize the scientific and commercial exploitation of this SAR system. The other important factor is a systematic processing of all acquired data to Single-look Slant-range Complex (SSC) products to facilitate higher level product generation and services based on these products. This paper describes the TerraSAR-L basic product tree and explains the rationale behind. The nominal TerraSAR-L imaging modes are introduced and their performance characteristics are described. The generation concept of multi-look detected products based consistently on complex products - generated either at an intermediate stage during ground segment processing or serving as input product into a stand-alone tool - is introduced. A modular SAR processor design using the same complex product generation algorithms as far as possible independent of the underlying imaging mode is addressed