Satellite Characteristics
To gain more insight into the capabilities and technical aspects of the Canadian Earth Observation satellites RADARSAT-1, RADARSAT-2 and RADARSAT Constellation, below you will find an illustration and a table comparing their features in terms of system characteristics and beam modes.
System Characteristics
General
| RADARSAT-1 | RADARSAT-2 | RADARSAT Constellation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High Resolution | 8 m X 8 m (stripmap mode) |
1 m X 3 m (stripmap mode) |
1 m X 3 m (stripmap mode) |
| Total mass at launch | 2 750 kg | 2 200 kg | 1 300 kg |
| Mission life | 5 years | 7 years | 7 years (each satellite) |
| SAR antenna dimensions | 15 m x 1,5 m | 15 m x 1,5 m | 6,75 m x 1,38 m |
| Solar arrays (each) | 2,21 m x 1,32 m | 3,73 m x 1,8 m | 2,2 m x 1,7 m main power (one panel vs two for RS1 and 2) 0,5 m x 1,6 m (keep-alive power) |
| Bus | 3,55 m x 2,46 m | 3,7 m x 1,36 m | Canadian SmallSat Bus |
| Look Direction | Right looking | Routine left- and right-looking operation |
Right looking Multiple satellites will eliminate need for left and right looking to increase revisit |
Radar
| RADARSAT-1 | RADARSAT-2 | RADARSAT Constellation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active Antenna | C-Band | C-Band | C-Band |
| Centre Frequency | 5,3 GHz | 5,405 GHz | 5,405 GHz |
| Bandwidth | 30 MHz | 100 MHz | 100 MHz |
| SAR antenna dimensions | 15 m x 1,5 m | 15 m x 1,5 m | 6,75 m x 1,38 m |
| Polarization | HH | HH, VV, HV, VH | HH, VV, HV, VH, Compact Polarimetry |
| Polarization Isolation | > 20 dB | > 25 dB | > 28 dB (as of latest specs) |
| Aperture Length | 15 m | 15 m | 6,75 m |
| Aperture width | 1.5 m | 1.37 m | 1.38 m |
| Mass | 679 kg | 750 kg | 400 kg approximate |
| Deployment Mechanism | Extendable support structure (ESS) | Extendable support structure (ESS) | Simple strut deployment with a kinematically decoupled internal support structure |
Orbit
| RADARSAT-1 | RADARSAT-2 | RADARSAT Constellation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Altitude | 793-821 km | 798 km | 592,7 km |
| Inclination | 98,6 degrees | 98,6 degrees | 97,74 degrees |
| Duration of one orbit | 100.7 min | 100.7 min | 96.4 min |
| Descending node | 6 hrs. | 6 hrs. | 6 hrs. +/- 15 min |
Ascending node |
18 hrs. | 18 hrs. | 18 hrs. |
| Sun-synchronous | 14 orbits per day | 14 orbits per day | 14,92 per day |
Beam Modes
RADARSAT-1
(Credit: Canadian Space Agency)
| Beam Modes | Nominal Swath Width (km) |
Nominal Resolution (m) |
|---|---|---|
| High Resolution | 45 | 8 |
| Standard | 100 | 30 |
| Wide | 150 | 30 |
| ScanSAR narrow | 300 | 50 |
| ScanSAR wide | 500 | 100 |
| Extended high incidence | 75 | 18-27 |
| Extended low incidence | 170 | 30 |
RADARSAT-2
(Credit: Canadian Space Agency)
| Beam Modes | Nominal Swath Width (km) | Nominal Resolution (m) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Selective Polarization Transmit H or V receive H and/or V |
Fine | 50 | 10 x 9 |
| Standard | 100 | 25 x 28 | |
| Low incidence | 170 | 40 x 28 | |
| High incidence | 75 | 20 x 28 | |
| Wide | 150 | 25 x 28 | |
| ScanSAR narrow | 300 | 50 x 50 | |
| ScanSAR ScanSAR wide | 500 | 100 x 100 | |
| Polarimetric Transmit H and V on alternate pulses / receive H and V on any pulse |
Fine Quad-pol | 25 | 11 x 9 |
| Standard Quad-pol | 25 | 25 x 28 | |
| Selective Single Polarization Transmit H or V receive H or V |
Ultra-Fine | 20 | 3 x 3 |
| Spotlight | 18 | 3 x 1 | |
| Multi-Look Fine | 50 | 11 x 9 |
RADARSAT Constellation
(Credit: Canadian Space Agency)
| Beam Modes | Nominal Swath Width (km) | Approximate Resolution (m) |
|---|---|---|
Low Resolution
|
500 | 100 x 100 |
| Medium Resolution (Maritime) | 350 | 50 x 50 |
| Medium Resolution (Land) | 30 | 16 x 16 |
| Medium Resolution (Land) | 125 | 30 x 30 |
| High Resolution | 30 | 5 x 5 |
| Very High Resolution | 20 | 30 x 30 |
| Ice/Oil Low Noise | 350 | 100 x 100 |
| 25 m ship mode | 350 | Variable |
Spotlight mode |
5 | 1 x 3 |
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