BackForward Satellite Programme: Topography Experiment + Poseidon 

Programme details
Programme description
  • Single-satellite programme, for ocean altimetry.
  • Follow-on of GEOSat (1985-1990) and precursor of the JASON operational series.
  • Joint NASA-CNES programme, merging the CNES Poseidon and the NASA TOPEX: NASA provided the satellite bus, four instruments and spacecraft operations; CNES provided two instruments and the launch service.
  • Platform actively stabilised over 3 axes.
  • Design lifetime: 3 years.
  • The satellite exploits the optimal orbit for altimetry of geodetic accuracy (66° inclination, 1336 km altitude).
  • See detailed description at http://topex-www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/topex.
Data circulation
  • Onboard stored data downlinked to the Project Operations Control Center (POCC) at NASA/JPL, Pasadena, CA.
  • Data processed and distributed from the JPL Physical Oceanographic Distributed Active Archive Center (PODAAC), and the French Archiving, Validation and Interpretation of Satellite Oceanographic data (AVISO).
Agencies NASACNES
Programme lifetime 1992 - 2005
Associated satellites and instruments

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