The objective of the TanDEM-X mission (TerraSAR-X add-on for Digital Elevation Measurement) is to produce a highly accurate, three-dimensional image of our Earth with uniform quality and unprecedented accuracy.
Currents in the Pentland FirthBetween the Scottish mainland and the Orkney island of South Ronaldsay, the water flows at very high speed. The German Aerospace Center (DLR) TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X radar satellites make it possible to identify and analyse these currents from space.
Filigree landscape in Chile's Atacama DesertThis TanDEM-X image shows Salar de Uyuni, the largest salt flats in the world covering 10,000 square kilometres, located next to the volcanic region of the Atacama Desert. The blue to dark blue areas show the lowest lying parts of the salt flats. A trained eye can see the boundaries of rock deposits in the three-dimensional model. This information about landscape features helps us draw important conclusions about the origins and development of the area.