  The Herschel Space Observatory is the fourth cornerstone mission in the ESA
science programme and performs photometry and spectroscopy in the 55 - 672
micron range. The development of the Herschel Data Processing System started in
2002 to support the data analysis for Instrument Level Tests. The Herschel Data
Processing System was used for the pre-flight characterisation of the
instruments, and during various ground segment test campaigns. Following the
successful launch of Herschel 14th of May 2009 the Herschel Data Processing
System demonstrated its maturity when the first PACS preview observation of M51
was processed within 30 minutes of reception of the first science data after
launch. Also the first HIFI observations on DR21 were successfully reduced to
high quality spectra, followed by SPIRE observations on M66 and M74. A fast
turn-around cycle between data retrieval and the production of science-ready
products was demonstrated during the Herschel Science Demonstration Phase
Initial Results Workshop held 7 months after launch, which is a clear proof
that the system has reached a good level of maturity. We will summarise the
scope, the management and development methodology of the Herschel Data
Processing system, present some key software elements and give an overview
about the current status and future development milestones.
