RADARSAT is a Canadian satellite operated by the Canadian Space
Agency (CSA)/Canadian Center for Remote Sensing (CCRS)
for gathering global data on ice conditions,
crops, forests, oceans and geology. The satellite was launched
in November 1995, with the launch
service provided by NASA, USA.
With its creation in 1989, the Canadian Space Agency took over
the implementation and operation of the RADARSAT project as a
key component of the Canadian space program. CCRS continues to
participate in the RADARSAT project through the
Radar Data Development Program (RDDP) and is responsible for
data collection and archiving.
RADARSAT, with a planned lifetime of five years, is equipped
with a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). Using a single frequency
(C-Band), the RADARSAT SAR has the unique ability to shape and steer
its radar beam over a 500 kilometre range. Users can have access
to a variety of beam selections that can image swath from 35
kilometres to 500 kilometres with resolutions from 10 metres to
100 metres respectively. Incidence
angles range from less than 20 degrees to more than 50 degrees.
RADARSAT Orbit
| Type | Sun-Synchronous |
| Altitude | 798 km |
| Inclination | 98.6 deg |
| Period | 100.7 min |
| Repeat Cycle | 24 days |
Sensor
- SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar): The SAR is able to
operate in several beam modes:
- Standard: Seven beam modes with incidence angle ranging
from 20 to 49 deg nominal, 100 km swath width and 25 m resolution.
- Wide: Three beam modes with varying incidence angles,
150 km swath width.
- Fine: Five beam modes with 50 km swath width and resolution
better than 10 m.
- Scansar: Wide swath width (300 - 500 km) with a coarser resolution
of 50 to 100 m.
- Extended mode.
RADARSAT Operating Modes
| MODE | RESOLUTION
(m)
Range 1 x azimuth (m) | LOOKS 2 | WIDTH
(km) | INCIDENCE ANGLE 3
(degrees) |
| Standard | 25 x 28 | 4 | 100 | 20-49 |
|---|
| Wide - 1 | 48-30 x 28 | 4 | 165 | 20 - 31 |
|---|
| Wide - 2 | 32-25 x 28 | 4 | 150 | 31 - 39 |
|---|
| Fine resolution | 11-9 x 9 | 1 | 45 | 37 - 48 |
|---|
| ScanSAR narrow | 50 x 50 | 2 - 4 | 305 | 20 - 40 |
|---|
| ScanSAR wide | 100 x 100 | 4 - 8 | 510 | 20 - 49 |
|---|
| Extended (H) | 22-19 x 28 | 4 | 75 | 50 - 60 |
|---|
| Extended (L) | 63-28 x 28 | 4 | 170 | 10 - 23 |
|---|
1. Nominal; ground range resolution varies with range
2. Nominal; range and processor dependent
3. Incidence angle depends on sub-mode
RADARSAT SAR Instrument Characteristics
| Frequency/wavelength | 5.3 GHz (C band)/ 5.6 cm |
| Polarisation | Linear HH |
| Bandwidth | 11.6, 17.3 or 30.0 MHz |
| Peak power | 5 kW |
| Antennae size | 15 m x 1.5 m |
| Incidence angle | Mode dependent |
| Resolution | Mode dependent |
| |
Link to:
RADARSAT (http://www.ccrs.nrcan.gc.ca/ccrs/tekrd/radarsat/rsate.html)
at Canadian Center for Remote Sensing.
RADARSAT 2 (http://radarsat.mda.ca/) at MDA.
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RADARSAT, Canada