BackForwardInstrument:  ROHPP 

Instrument details
Acronym ROHPP
Full name Radio Occultations and Heavy Precipitation with PAZ
Purpose Temperature/humidity sounding with highest vertical resolution, heavy precipitation detection (experimental)
Short description Measuring the phase delay due to refraction during occultation between GPS and LEO. The occulted signal is measured in two orthogonal polarisations that, by processing, provide Right-Hand and Left-Hand circular polarisations. The RHCP is used to generate the ordinary radio-occultation sounding, the LHCP is affected by large drops of heavy rain
Background Consolidated technology, with added dual polarisation capability for heavy precipitation detection (experimental)
Scanning Technique Limb scanning from 40 km altitude to close-to-surface by time sampling – Azimuth: 110° sector, only aft-
Resolution About 300 km horizontal, 0.5 km vertical
Coverage / Cycle 1 GNSS constellation tracked. About 300 soundings/day - Average spacing 1300 km - Global coverage (300 km spacing) in 20 days
Mass 4.6 kg Power 16 W Data Rate 17 kbps

 

Providing Agency CDTI
Instrument Maturity Flown on an R&D satellite
Utilization Period: 2018 to 2025
Last update: 2021-12-13
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 (basic constellation)
  • GNSS radio occultation sounder (basic constellation)
  • Subcomponent 3
  • GNSS radio occultation additional constellation for enhanced atmospheric/ionospheric soundings (including polarimetric), including LEO-LEO radio occultation for additional frequencies optimized for atmospheric sounding
  • GNSS radio occultation additional constellation
Mission objectives
Primary mission objectives
  • Atmospheric temperature
  • Height of the top of PBL
  • Height of the tropopause
  • Specific humidity
  • Temperature of the tropopause
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
Note: * Primary mission objective.
VariableRelevance for measuring this variableOperational limitationsExplanation
Atmospheric temperature*3 - highInaccurate in low troposphere.One directional antenna, one GNSS system tracked, covering about 250 soundings/day
Geoid4 - fairHighly indirect.Radio-occultation processing implies precise orbitography. Geoid derived from multi-temporal analysis
Gravity field5 - marginalHighly indirect.Radio-occultation processing implies precise orbitography. Gravity field derived from multi-temporal analysis
Height of the top of PBL*3 - highNo specific limitation.One directional antenna, one GNSS system tracked, about 250 soundings/day. PBL top measured as discontinuity of the refraction index
Height of the tropopause*3 - highNo specific limitation.One directional antenna, one GNSS system tracked, about 250 soundings/day. Tropopause height measured as discontinuity of the refraction index
Precipitation intensity at surface (liquid or solid)5 - marginalHeavy precipitation onlyPrecipitation detected by de-polarisation measurement (experimental)
Specific humidity*3 - highInaccurate in high troposphere.One directional antenna, one GNSS system tracked, about 250 soundings/day
Temperature of the tropopause*3 - highNo specific limitation.One directional antenna, one GNSS system tracked, about 250 soundings/day
Atmospheric density1 - primaryNo specific limitation.Measuring atmospheric density