National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Indian Space Research Organisation Synthetic Aperture Radar Mission Concept

Gerald W Bawden, US Geological Survey, Sacramento, United States, Paul Alan Rosen, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, United States, Ralph Dubayah, University of Maryland, Department of Geographical Sciences, College Park, United States, Bradford H Hager, MIT, Cambridge, MA, United States, Ian R Joughin, Univ Washington, Seattle, United States and DESDynI-R Science Definition Team
Abstract:
The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Indian Space Research Organisation are planning a synthetic aperture radar (currently named NISAR) mission for launch in 2020. The mission is a dual L- and S-band polarimetric SAR satellite with a 12-day interferometric orbit and 240 km wide ground swath. The 3-year mission will have a circular sun synchronous orbit (6 am and 6 pm) with a 98° inclination and 747 km altitude that will provide systematic global coverage. Its primary science objectives are to: measure solid Earth surface deformation (earthquakes, volcanic unrest, land subsidence/uplift, landslides); track and understand cryosphere dynamics (glaciers, ice sheets, sea ice, and permafrost); characterize and track changes in vegetation structure and wetlands for understanding ecosystem dynamics and carbon cycle; and support global disaster response. We will describe the current mission concept: the satellite design/capabilities, spacecraft, launch vehicle, and data flow.
Back to: New Frontiers in Ecosystem, Solid Earth, Cryosphere, and Natural Hazards