Cryosat 2

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General

Designation	36508 / 10013A
Launch date	8 Apr 2010
Country of origin	Europe
Mission	Scientific: Remote sensing
Perigee/Apogee	716/735 km (not sun-synchronous)
Inclination	92°
Period	99.2 min
Launch vehicle	Dnepr #14

To replace the lost Cryosat. Should cost EUR 106 million. Includes 85 improvements compared to the original Cryosat.

To measure changes in the thickness of ice sheets and polar ocean sea-ice cover with unprecedented accuracy (1-3 cm). To test predictions of ice melting due to global warming.

Main instrument: the Siral2 radar Altimeter, manufactured by EADS Space, has a 250 m resolution and interferometry capabilities.

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External resources

http://www.esa.int/livingplanet/cryosat.html

sat-index articles

Technical data

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Specifications

Prime contractor	EADS Astrium
Platform
Mass at launch	737 kg
Mass in orbit
Dimension
Solar array	fixed to satellite body like a roof
Stabilization
DC power
Design lifetime	3.5 years

Two radar antennas.

TT&C in S-band. Data in X-band.

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SIRAL

SAR/Interferometric Radar ALtimeter provided by Alcatel Space. 70 kg.
Designed to measure the Earth's diverse ice-fields (mass and thickness), derived from the Poseidon oceanographic altimeter.

The Doris instrument will be used to precisely determine the orbit of the satellite, with the help of signals sent by earth stations.

A small laser retroreflector will also be onboard.

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