Klaus Koeble, head of EADS Astrium's TerraSAR-X launch team on site in Baikonur, regularly reports the current status of activities from Baikonur:

The after-flight-tests of bus and instruments, including those on the Laser Communication Terminal (LCT) ran very smoothly; further, the final software versions were uploaded onto the on-board computer. All in all, the spacecraft is coming close to reaching its final configurations.

On sunday, the EADS team on-site took the opportunity of visiting some of the more historic sights at the Cosmodrome - including the shuttle "Buran".

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