Jason 2

Also called OSTM (Ocean Surface Topography Mission)

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General

Designation	33105 / 08032A
Launch date	20 Jun 2008
Country of origin	France and United States
Mission	Remote sensing
Perigee/Apogee	1336 km
Inclination	66°
Period
Launch vehicle	Delta 2 #334

Construction cost: EUR 40 million
Provides operational services in partnership with Eumetsat and NOAA.

The altimetry mission provides sea surface heights for determining ocean circulation, climate change and sea-level rise and have been instrumental in meeting NOAA's operational need for sea surface height measurements necessary for ocean modelling, forecasting El Niño/La Niña events and hurricane intensity prediction.

Jason 1 and 2 will fly in formation, making nearly simultaneous measurements for about six months to allow scientists to precisely calibrate Jason 2's instruments.

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End of life

Out of service	10 Oct 2019
Cause	Power production components required termination of the mission, orbit was lowered before desactivation
Decay

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Technical data

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Specifications

Prime contractor	Alcatel Space
Platform	Proteus
Mass at launch	506 kg
Mass in orbit
Dimension
Solar array
Stabilization	3-axis
DC power	550 W
Design lifetime	3 to 5 years

The Proteus Hydrazine tank was modified to minize leak risks after NASA request.

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Instruments

Poseidon 3 altimeter (from CNES) measures height above sea surface (C- and Ku-band)

NASA Advanced Microwave Radiometer (AMR): 3-frequency radiometer measures total water vapor along altimeter path to correct for pulse delay

CNES Doppler Orbitography and Radiopositioning Integrated by Satellite (DORIS) Doppler tracking antenna: receives ground signals for precise orbit determination, satellite tracking, and ionospheric correction data for the CNES altimeter

NASA Global Positioning System Payload (GPSP) receiver provides precise orbit ephemeris data

NASA Laser Retroreflector Array (LRA) works with ground stations to track satellite and calibrate the other satellite location systems, and verify altimeter measurements.

Also carries the Light Particle Telescope (LPT) built by Jaxa. It weighs 7 kg. Will detect electrons, protons and alpha rays.


Telemetry downlink at 2215.92 MHz
Command uplink at 2040.49 MHz

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