Expectations for first measurements of top-antitop pair production using early CMS data

The top quark study will be a fundamental element of the early physics program at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Given the complex signature of the most exotic of all known Standard Model particles, the pair production of top quarks will be crucial for commissioning the LHC experiments for physics analysis. Only when the first top quark signal will be established, will the experiments be able to further probe the Standard Model and to begin the searches for new physics. We shall discuss the plans and analysis strategies of CMS to pursue this physics program, and shall show the expected performance of the experiment with an emphasis on an early cross-section measurement.