description SRTM Overview
Flown aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour in February 2000, the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission measured land elevations across much of Earth. It was an international project led by NASA and the National Imagery and Mapping Agency, the predecessor of today's National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. SRTM was a shuttle mission rather than an independent satellite, with its radar equipment carried into orbit for the mapping campaign. The system compared radar observations from separated antennas to calculate terrain height, producing a near-global digital elevation model between 60 degrees north and 56 degrees south.
That coverage made its data a widely used resource for geographers and earth scientists, as well as practical mapping applications. Its importance lies in providing a broadly consistent view of land topography across national boundaries, allowing terrain to be analyzed within a common dataset.
help SRTM FAQ
What space shuttle mission carried the SRTM into orbit?
The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission was launched aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour during the STS-99 mission in February 2000. It used interferometric synthetic aperture radar to capture the Earth's topography.
Which government organizations collaborated to create the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission?
The SRTM was a joint collaborative effort between NASA and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). The German and Italian space agencies also participated by contributing the X-band synthetic aperture radar hardware.
What latitudes does the SRTM elevation dataset actually cover?
Because of the orbital inclination of the Space Shuttle Endeavour, the SRTM data covers over 80% of the globe, specifically from 56 degrees south to 60 degrees north latitude. It does not provide topographic data for the extreme polar regions like Antarctica.
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