Airbus: a world first for the 3rd radar of the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission











Photo credit © Reuters


(Boursier.com) — Airbus completed the 3rd instrument in the Sentinel-1 series of satellites. It incorporates a new separation mechanism, designed to avoid space debris, a world first.

The C-band radar for the Copernicus Sentinel-1C satellite is now on its way to its platform at Thales Alenia Space in Rome, where it will be integrated and then tested. The C-band radar beam produced by the instrument can determine changes in the earth’s surface with an accuracy of a few millimeters, to provide images on a regular and systematic basis for maritime and land surveillance, emergency response, climate change climate and security. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) has the advantage of operating at wavelengths that are unimpeded by cloud cover or lack of illumination, and can therefore acquire data day or night, in all weather conditions. Having a main operating mode for the land surface and another for the open sea allows it to operate pre-programmed. A conventional radar image is acquired over a wide swath (250 km) with high geometric resolution (typically 5 m by 20 m).

Featuring an invention by Airbus

Largely identical to its two predecessors, the new radar instrument of Sentinel-1C presents a particularity: an invention patented by Airbus which is used for the first time. These are gaskets installed at the main connection points to the satellite, which melt when exposed to high heat and separate the radar antenna from the satellite platform. Both parts are then fully exposed to frictional heat and thus burn up earlier and faster upon re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere at the end of the satellite’s design life of 7.25 years. The Airbus invention thus contributes to avoiding space debris and protecting the environment in orbit.

Built by Airbus, the 12.3m x 0.9m radar antenna was built and tested in Friedrichshafen (Germany), while the electronic subsystem was manufactured in Portsmouth (UK).

The T/R modules (transmission and reception) and the front electronics were produced by Thales Alenia Space according to Airbus specifications.

The launch of the satellite is scheduled for the first half of 2023.

Since April 2014, the Sentinel-1 mission has provided round-the-clock, all-weather radar imagery for Copernicus, the world’s most ambitious European-led environmental programme. Copernicus is a joint project of the European Commission (EC) and the European Space Agency (ESA). By the end of May 2022, more than 620,000 users had downloaded more than 39 million Sentinel-1 products, equivalent to 48 million gigabytes of data.


©2022 Boursier.com






Source link -87