SARAL

Jump to: Mission Objectives, Mission Instrumentation, Mission Parameters, Additional Information

Mission Photos:

Courtesy of AVISO

Satellite with ARgos and ALtika (SARAL) is a cooperative mission between CNES and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) The mission is complemenatary to Jason-2 and will provide observations of ice, rain, coastal zones, and wave heights. SARAL results from the common interests of CNES and ISRO in studying the oceans from space using altimetry and providing maximum use of ARGOS (Advanced Research and Global Observation Satellite), a joint NOAA CNES data collection system.

Mission Objectives:

The main mission objectives of SARAL are to:

• Create precise, repetative global measurements of sea surface height, wave heights, and wind speed
• Ensure continutity of the altimetry service currently available from Envisat and Jason-1/-2
• Contribute to global ocean and climate studies to build a global ocean observing system

These objectives will be accomplished by studying mesoscale ocean variability through observations of:

• coastal areas
• inland waters
• surface of continental ice sheets

Mission Instrumentation:

The SARAL satellite will be provided by ISRO; the mission will have the following instrumentation onboard:

• Altimeter/Radiometer (AltiKa) built by CNES
• DORIS built by CNES
• Laser Retroreflector Array built by CNES
• ARGOS-3 instrument

The DORIS instrument will be used for POD, which is a fundamental requirement for achieving the goals of the SARAL mission. SLR will plan an important role by providing strong tracking information to complement DORIS and by providing a unique and unambiguous verification of the absolute radial orbit accuracy.

Mission Parameters:

Additional Information:

• Web sites:
• CNES home page
• CNES Space Science Missions page
• AVISO home page
• Publications:

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Author: Mark Torrence
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