The new German radar satellite TerraSAR-X is ready for the first functional tests to be performed after having been transported to its launch site in Baikonur.

The spacecraft was unloaded from its special transport container and installed for the final test runs and launch preparations. A first inspection has shown that TerraSAR-X has endured the long journey from Friedrichshafen to Baikonur without any problems or damages.

Teams of EADS Astrium and the German Aerospace Center now need to conduct four to six weeks of further preparations before the satellite's launch, which is envisaged to take place by mid April.