No JavaScript detected
Instrument details
Acronym
RainCube
Full name
Radar In a CubeSat
Purpose
Technology demonstration of a miniaturized rain radar suitable for implementing a constellation of small satellites to measure precipitation profiles
Short description
Ka-band (35.75 GHz), 0.5-m deployable antenna. Sensitivity 13 dBZ
Background
Released in orbit from the ISS
Scanning Technique
Nadir-only
Resolution
7.9 km horizontal, 120 m vertical
Coverage / Cycle
Along-track at 0.28-s rate, latitude limited by the ISS orbital inclination (51.6°)
Mass
5.5 kg
Power
22 W
Data Rate
50 kbps
Providing Agency
NASA
Instrument Maturity
Demonstration pending
Utilization Period:
2018-08-27 to 2020-12-22
Last update:
2021-06-15
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 Cloud and precipitation radar
WIGOS Subcomponents
Subcomponent 1 Precipitation radar and cloud radar
Mission objectives
Primary mission objectives Precipitation (liquid or solid) Precipitation intensity at surface (liquid or solid) 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
Instrument: RainCube