BackForwardInstrument:  ALT (high) 

Instrument details
Acronym ALT (high)
Full name Radar Altimeter
Purpose Ocean topography, significant wave height, wind speed on sea surface
Short description Two frequencies (13.58 GHz and 5.25 GHz)
Background Consolidated technology
Scanning Technique Nadir-only viewing, continuous sampling along track
Resolution 20 km IFOV
Coverage / Cycle Global coverage in 1 month for 30 km average spacing, or in 10 days for 100 km average spacing
Mass Power Data Rate

 

Providing Agency NSOAS
Instrument Maturity Flown on an R&D satellite
Utilization Period: 2020 to 2031
Last update: 2023-11-20
Detailed characteristics
Satellites this instrument is flying on

Note: a red tag indicates satellites no longer operational, a green tag indicates operational satellites, a blue tag indicates future satellites

Instrument classification
  • Earth observation instrument
  • Active and radio-occultation sensor
  • Radar altimeter
WIGOS Subcomponents
  • Subcomponent 1
  • Wide-swath radar altimeters, and high altitude, inclined, high-precision orbit altimeters
  • High-altitude, inclined, high-precision orbit altimeters
  • Subcomponent 2
  • Magnetospheric energetic particles and magnetometers
  • Ionospheric total electron content sensor [at LEO and cross magnetosphere]
Mission objectives
Primary mission objectives
  • Geoid
  • Ocean dynamic topography
  • Significant wave height
Evaluation of Measurements