(12.Oktober 2011) 2. (C) SUMMARY: Officials from the German Space Agency (DLR) informally requested feedback regarding USG support for a US/German commercial partnership on Germanys High Resolution Optical Satellite (HiROS) imaging reconnaissance system. Assuming funding for HiROS will be approved this November, DLR is planning to begin construction of three HiROS satellites in January. DLR, a strong advocate for a HiROS partnership with US industry, said it could add an X-band transceiver dedicated for a US customer (ensuring secure and private tasking). However, DLR noted that Germany first needs some kind of near-term indication of support from the USG. They said that if provisions for an X-band antenna are not made within the next couple of months, this option would likely not be possible due to the systems aggressive project development plan. END SUMMARY

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8. (C) Eckardt said that DLR is making considerable progress in processing optical satellite data into three-dimensional (3D) models, with a goal of doing this in real time (RT) within the next 3-5 years. He described DLR,s rapid technical progress in reducing processing time, from about an hour six-months ago to 30 minutes today. According to Eckardt, the next steps will be to create RT-3D models using radar, infrared and multi-spectral data sources. Once this is mastered, DLR will seek to fuse all imagery data together into one master 3D model.