Korean Earth Observation Data in Neustrelitz
The chairman of the DLR executive board, Prof. Ehrenfreund, and the president of the "Korea Aerospace Research Institute" (KARI), Dr. Gwang Rae Cho, formally signed an agreement authorizing DFD to acquire in Neustrelitz data from Korean earth observation missions. The ceremony took place on 23 February at KARI headquarters in Daejeon, South Korea, on the occasion of a trip to Korea and Japan by Prof. Ehrenfreund. The agreement specifies that a KARI "Overseas Ground Station Terminal" (OGST) is to be established in Neustrelitz. OGST hardware and software will make possible the digital processing of data from Korean earth observation satellites received at the antennas in Neustrelitz. In addition, command sequences prepared in Korea can be sent to the satellite from Neustrelitz. A high-rate Internet link guarantees the smooth exchange of data between Neustrelitz and Daejeon.
At present, the Korean earth observation programme consists of Kompsat satellites. These yield high-resolution images in the optical, thermal, and X band SAR ranges. The current Kompsat-5 SAR mission will be augmented by Kompsat-6 in the coming years. The Kompsat-6 instrument will be supplied by Airbus and is an upgrade of the TerraSAR-X instrument.
The agreement with KARI includes scientific utilization of the data by the partners. The Korean National Satellite Operation & Application Center regards DFD as a model for linking the operational level with use of the data for science and for developing applications.
Work on setting up OGST in Neustrelitz has started. Full implementation and data acquisition is planned for the end of 2016.
