CSDA Vendor - Airbus
NASA's Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition (CSDA) program has acquired commercial datasets from Airbus for scientific purposes.
Airbus Defense and Space GEO Inc (Airbus DS GEO Inc.) provides a comprehensive catalog of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) Earth observation products from their TerraSAR-X, TanDEM-X, and PAZ X-band radar satellites. The data offer high temporal and spatial resolution, and precise elevation information for nearly any point on Earth, independent of cloud cover and weather. The products have potential applications to various Earth science investigations, including monitoring drift ice in the absence of daylight, detecting surface movement in oil and gas fields, and identifying objects in remote areas. For specifications on the individual Airbus SAR instruments, please see the Airbus Commercial Data listing at the bottom of this page.
Obtaining Data
- To request access to CSDA-distributed data, complete the CSDA Authorization form. The CSDA team will verify if the user is authorized for data access.
- Search and download Airbus data using the CSDA Satellite Data Explorer (SDX). An Earthdata Login is required.
Copyright
Data products and derivatives for imagery must contain the following copyright markings (YYYY is the year of the image acquisition):
- For data products: “© Airbus Defense and Space GEO Inc U.S. YYYY. All rights reserved.”
- For derivatives: “Includes copyrighted material of Airbus Defense and Space GEO Inc U.S. All rights reserved.”
- A joint copyright notice may be used as appropriate
CSDA Acknowledgment
To help CSDA identify your publications, we request that you include the following acknowledgment when publishing work created using these data:
"This work utilized data made available through the NASA Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition (CSDA) program."Authorized users should send CSDA a courtesy copy of any publications that include CSDA-distributed data.
Evaluation
Airbus SAR Evaluation Report and Quality Assessment Summary
Research Using Airbus Data
Airbus CSDA Publications in Zotero
Airbus Commercial Data
Constellation Details
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Launched | 2007 TerraSAR-X 2010 TanDEM-X 2018 PAZ |
| Orbit | Sun synchronous |
| Radar revisit frequency | One to two times daily, for any location on Earth |
| Interferometry repeat-cycle | Every 4, 7 and 11 days, for any location on Earth |
| Polarization | Single, dual - depending on imaging mode quad-pol is available as an advanced polarization mode for dedicated acquisition campaigns |
Basic Imaging Modes
| Acquisition Mode | Scene Size (Width x Length) | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Staring SpotLight (ST) | 4 x 3.7 km2 | up to 0.25m |
| High-Resolution SpotLight (HS) | up to 10 x 5 km2 | up to 1m |
| SpotLight (SL) | 10 x 10 km2 | up to 2m |
| StripMap (SM) | 30 x 50 km2 | up to 3m |
| ScanSAR (SC) | 100 x 150 km2 | up to 18.5m |
| Wide ScanSAR (WSC) | up to 270 x 200 km2 | up to 40m |
Authorized Data Use and Users
Access to this data is governed by the CSDA End User License Agreements (EULAs). The minimum access level for data is the USG license. Depending on the specific data products provided, some or all data may also be available under higher-tier CSDA licenses, including USG‑Plus and Public licenses.
Under the applicable license tier, authorized users may include:
- U.S. Government federal employees
- State, local, territorial, and tribal government personnel
- U.S. Government contractors and subcontractors
- U.S. Government–funded researchers and academic partners
- Other users authorized under applicable CSDA license levels (USG, USG‑Plus, or Public)
All data use must comply with the terms of the EULA. All data requests must be reviewed and approved by NASA’s Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition (CSDA) program.
Image: Airbus’ Pléiades Neo satellite imaged Artemis II on the launchpad. Acquisition date January 19, 2026: Pléiades Neo HD15 © Airbus DS 2026