Radarsat Constellation
| Radarsat Constellation | |
|---|---|
| Type: | Earth observation satellites |
| Country: |
 Canada
|
| Operator: |
 CSA and DRDC
|
| COSPAR-ID : | 2019-033A, 2019-033B, 2019-033C |
| Mission dates | |
| Dimensions: | 3 × approx. 1430 kg |
| Begin: | June 12, 2019, 14:17 UTC |
| Launcher: | Falcon 9 |
| Flight duration: | 7 years each |
| Status: | in orbit |
| Orbit data | |
| Rotation time : | 96 min |
| Track height: | 600 km |
The Radarsat Constellation is a constellation of three Canadian Earth observation satellites . It is a follow-up project for the satellites Radarsat-1 and Radarsat-2 . Planning for the project began in 2005 and was launched on June 12, 2019. The satellites were built by the Canadian company MDA Space Missions .
Satellites
The Radarsat Constellation Network consists of three satellites. An expansion to six satellites is possible. The satellites operate in low earth orbit at an altitude of around 600 km and orbit the earth every 96 minutes. They have a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR; German for example: "Radar with synthetic aperture") and are supposed to cover the lakes, forests and mountains of Canada from coast to coast. The satellite constellation makes 95% of Canadian soil concurrent. In addition to the SAR radar, the satellites also have communication systems in the X and S bands.
Mission objectives
The mission objectives are:
- the observation of changes in the environment,
- increasing accuracy and predicting impending environmental disasters,
- Support of rescue teams after natural disasters,
- Recording of ice and changes in the ice surface,
- Observation of shipping lanes,
- Detection of land movements and landslide threats,
- Hurricane observation,
- Observation of changes in ecology.
Web links
- Radarsat Constellation on the Canadian Space Agency website
- RADARSAT Constellation Mission - Fact Sheet (English)
- Radarsat Constellation Mission (RCM) ( Memento from January 21, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) on the website of the manufacturer MDA (English)
- Radarsat Constellation 1, 2, 3 (RCM 1, 2, 3) on Gunter's Space Page (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ William Graham: SpaceX Falcon 9 lofts three Canadian radar satellites. In: Nasaspaceflight.com. June 12, 2019, accessed June 12, 2019 .