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Instrument details
Acronym
GNSS-RO (Sentinel-6)
Full name
Global Navigation Satellite System - Radio Occultation
Purpose
Temperature/humidity sounding with highest vertical resolution, space weather
Short description
Measuring the phase delay due to refraction during occultation between GPS/Galileo and LEO
Background
Following the development for COSMIC-2
Scanning Technique
Limb scanning from 1300 km to close-to-surface by time sampling - Azimuth: 90° sectors fore- and aft-
Resolution
About 300 km horizontal, 0.5 km vertical
Coverage / Cycle
3 GNSS constellations tracked. About 1000 soundings/day - Average spacing 710 km - Global coverage (300 km spacing) in 2 weeks.
Mass
6 kg
Power
50 W
Data Rate
40 kbps
Providing Agency
NOAA
Instrument Maturity
Flown on operational programme
Utilization Period:
2021-02-08 to ≥2027
Last update:
2022-05-23
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 GNSS radio-occultation
WIGOS Subcomponents
Subcomponent 1 GNSS radio occultation sounder (basic constellation) Subcomponent 2 Ionospheric total electron content sensor [at LEO and cross magnetosphere] Ionospheric electron density sensor [in LEO and cross magnetosphere]
Mission objectives
Primary mission objectives Atmospheric temperature Height of the top of PBL Height of the tropopause Specific humidity Temperature of the tropopause
Secondary mission objectives Atmospheric density Electron Density Ionospheric Scintillation Ionospheric Vertical Total Electron Content (VTEC) Opportunity objectives Show all Show fewer
Tentative Evaluation of Measurements
The following list indicates which measurements can typically be
retrieved from this category of instrument. To see a full Gap Analysis by Variable,
click on the respective variable.
Note: table can be sorted by clicking on the column headers
Variable Relevance for measuring this variable Operational limitations Explanation
Atmospheric temperature 2 - very high Inaccurate in low troposphere. Two directional antennas, three GNSS system tracked, covering about 1500 soundings/day
Geoid 4 - fair Highly indirect. Radio-occultation processing implies precise orbitography. Geoid derived from multi-temporal analysis
Gravity field 5 - marginal Highly indirect. Radio-occultation processing implies precise orbitography. Gravity field derived from multi-temporal analysis
Height of the top of PBL 2 - very high No specific limitation. Two directional antennas, three GNSS system tracked, about 1500 soundings/day. PBL top measured as discontinuity of the refraction index
Height of the tropopause 2 - very high No specific limitation. Two directional antennas, three GNSS system tracked, about 1500 soundings/day. Tropopause height measured as discontinuity of the refraction index
Specific humidity 3 - high Inaccurate in high troposphere. Two directional antennas, three GNSS system tracked, about 1500 soundings/day
Temperature of the tropopause 2 - very high No specific limitation. Two directional antennas, three GNSS system tracked, about 1500 soundings/day
Atmospheric density 1 - primary No specific limitation. Measuring atmospheric density
Electron Density 1 - primary No specific limitation. Two directional antennas, three GNSS system tracked, about 1500 soundings/day
Ionospheric Vertical Total Electron Content (VTEC) 3 - high No specific limitation. Two directional antennas, three GNSS system tracked, about 1500 soundings/day
Ionospheric Scintillation 4 - fair No specific limitation. Instrument type = GNSS radio-occultation sounder AND No. of tracked GNSS constellations >= 3 AND It has two directional antennas, looking fore- and aft- = TRUE AND It has ionospheric viewing capability = TRUE
Instrument: GNSS-RO (Sentinel-6)