BackForward Satellite Programme: CloudSat 

Programme details
Programme description
  • Single satellite programme, for cloud process study.
  • USA programme with substantial Canadian contribution: several NASA institutes with Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) leading, responsible of the overall programme and supplier of the platform, most part of the payload, the launch service and the operations, Canadian Space Agency (CSA) supplier of several radar subsysyems.
  • The platform is actively stabilised over 3 axes.
  • The design life time of the satellite is 3 years.
  • The satellite exploits a sunsynchronous orbit around 13:30 within the A-Train.
  • See detailed description here
Data circulation
  • Onboard stored data downlinked to stations of the US Air Force Satellite Control Network (AFSCN).
  • Data processed at CIRA (Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere) of CSU (Colorado State University), Fort Collins, CO.
Agencies NASA
Programme lifetime 2006 - 2023
Associated satellites and instruments

Note: red tag => no longer operational , green tag => operational , blue tag => planned