PASCO Becomes TerraSAR-X Distributor

Infoterra GmbH (Germany) has announced that PASCO Corporation (Japan) is the first distribution partner for data products of the German TerraSAR-X radar satellite. After a first agreement had already been reached in November of last year, Infoterra (Germany) and PASCO (Japan) have now signed the official contract, worth € 10 Mio (US$ 13,407,084.04). With this contract, PASCO has secured the exclusive distribution rights for the Japanese market more than a year before the start of the operative phase of the satellite in 2006. As a Direct Access Partner, the company also has the opportunity to receive TerraSAR-X data directly from the satellite, starting in late 2006. In a polar orbit at an altitude of 514 kilometres, the satellite will collect X-band radar data 24 hours a day at a resolution up to 1 meter of the entire planet independent of weather conditions and cloud coverage. TerraSAR-X is currently under construction at EADS Astrium (Germany), while the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) is preparing the ground segment.