CryoSat-2

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Cryosat-2
Cryosat-2
Type: Research satellite
Operator: European space agencyESA ESA
COSPAR-ID : 2010-013A
Mission dates
Dimensions: 720 kg
Size: 4.6 m × 2.34 m × 2.20 m
Begin: April 8, 2010, 13:57 UTC
Starting place: Baikonur 109/95
Launcher: Dnepr D-14
Status: in operation
Orbit data
Rotation time : 99.2 min
Orbit inclination : 92.0 °
Apogee height :  727 km
Perigee height :  709 km

Cryosat-2 is an earth observation satellite of the European Space Agency ESA for the observation of the ice masses of the earth.

background

Cryosat-2 is the replacement for the CryoSat satellite (also referred to retrospectively as Cryosat 1 ), which was lost in a false start in 2005. After this failure, the member states of the ESA decided at the end of February 2006 to carry out a replacement mission because of the importance of the project; the originally targeted start date for this was October 2009. The largely identical satellite, but with a few redundant systems added, was completed at Astrium in Immenstaad on Lake Constance at the beginning of September 2008 and handed over to IABG in Ottobrunn for tests lasting several months, as was already the case with CryoSat .

The control center of the satellite is located in the European Space Control Center in Darmstadt. The radio connection is made via a system in Kiruna, Sweden . Cryosat-2 is visible there 11 times a day for 10 minutes each time. During these times control signals can be sent to the satellite and the data can be downloaded via an X-band connection.

SIRAL

The main instrument on board the Cryosat-2 is SIRAL (Synthetic Aperture Interferometric Radar Altimeter). It has three modes of operation:

  • Low resolution, for scanning the sea surface and the stable ice layers on the continental shelf of the Antarctic,
  • Synthetic aperture for determining the density of floating ice sheets
  • Interferometric operation for the precise determination of the edges of the ice sheets.

Start preparations

This time a Dnepr rocket was used as a launch vehicle . The last planned start date in December 2009 had to be postponed to 2010 due to the overloading of the Baikonur start base . After the launch date was set for February 25, it was postponed to April 8 due to problems with the launcher. On April 1, 2010, CryoSat-2 was mounted on the launcher and made ready for launch in the following days.

Mission history

The launch from an underground missile silo took place on April 8, 2010 at 13:57 UTC. After 17 minutes of flight time, the successful separation of the satellite from the upper level was confirmed. Previously, the upper stage pulled the payload behind it, allowing the payload fairing to slide backwards. As a result, the intended orbit was reached more precisely than with other carrier systems.

The first data sets were published on July 20, 2010, the instruments were then calibrated by comparative measurements with data from aircraft that flew under the satellite orbit. The first complete map was available in June 2011.

The mission was initially designed for three years, but due to the good condition of the satellite and the high quality of the data obtained, it was extended to 2017 and then to December 2019.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ ESA: CryoSat-2 (Earth Explorer Opportunity Mission-2). Retrieved June 27, 2018 .
  2. ↑ Orbit data according to Chris Peat: CRYOSAT 2 - Orbit. In: Heavens Above. September 23, 2012, accessed on September 23, 2012 .
  3. ^ ESA: Cryosat-2 Operations. Retrieved June 27, 2018 .
  4. ^ ESA: Ground Segment. Retrieved June 27, 2018 .
  5. ↑ CryoSat ready for launch: Media Day at IABG / Munich. ESA, September 4, 2009, accessed September 18, 2009 .
  6. ↑ CryoSat: green light for launch campaign. ESA, November 20, 2009, accessed December 23, 2009 .
  7. ↑ New start date for CryoSat-2. ESA, March 19, 2010, accessed October 1, 2012 .
  8. ↑ CryoSat-2 installed in launch silo. ESA, April 1, 2010, accessed April 4, 2010 .
  9. ↑ ESA's CryoSat 2 ice satellite successfully launched. ESA, April 8, 2010, accessed April 8, 2010 .
  10. ↑ Scientists receive first CyroSat-2 data. ESA, July 20, 2010, accessed July 30, 2010 .
  11. ↑ New ice thickness map of the Arctic published. ESA, June 21, 2011, accessed October 1, 2012 .
  12. ↑ Thomas Wagner: Cold measurement. Deutschlandradio, April 7, 2010, accessed on October 1, 2010 .
  13. ↑ Three years of CryoSat: The new image of earthly ice. ESA, accessed April 20, 2013 .
  14. ↑ ESA: CryoSat Mission Summary. Retrieved on June 27, 2018 (English): "Mission Duration: 6 month commissioning (April 2010 to November 2010) + 3 years nominal mission. Mission extended until December 2019. "

See also

Web links