Table of Contents

Built for performance and versatility

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The RADARSAT-2 spacecraft is composed of the bus, the payload module, and the extendible support structure (ESS).

Bus: the elements that provide general spacecraft support functions, such as attitude measurement and control, telemetry and command, data storage and retrieval, power generation and storage, and thermal control. It was built by Alenia Aerospazio, a leading supplier of space systems and hardware based in Rome, Italy.

Payload: the SAR antenna and specific support equipment required for timing and control of the payload, signal distribution, signal detection and thermal control. The RADARSAT-2 SAR antenna was built by MDA in Montréal, Quebec.

ESS: the mechanical interface between the bus and antenna structure. Once deployed, it preserves the flatness and attitude of the antenna. AEC Able of Santa Barbara, California, built the ESS.

Launch: by Starsem on a Soyuz launch vehicle, from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. At launch, the spacecraft mass is about 2,300 kilograms.

ORBIT

Except for an offset in time, RADARSAT-2’s orbit is identical to that of RADARSAT-1. The spacecraft orbit control system can maintain ground track repeatability of five kilometres, with a goal of about one kilometre at any point in the orbit.

INNOVATIONS AND BENEFITS

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