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 Life-size model of CryoSat | |||||||||
| Mission type | Earth observation | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | ESA | ||||||||
| COSPAR ID | 2010-013A | ||||||||
| SATCAT no. | 36508 | ||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||
| Mission duration | 3 years (planned) Elapsed: 14 years, 8 months, 18 days | ||||||||
| Spacecraft properties | |||||||||
| Manufacturer | EADS Astrium | ||||||||
| Launch mass | 720 kilograms (1,590 lb) | ||||||||
| Dry mass | 684 kilograms (1,508 lb) | ||||||||
| Dimensions | 4.6 by 2.3 metres (15.1 ft × 7.5 ft) | ||||||||
| Power | 850 watts | ||||||||
| Start of mission | |||||||||
| Launch date | 8 April 2010, 13:57:04 UTC[1] | ||||||||
| Rocket | Dnepr | ||||||||
| Launch site | Baikonur 109/95 | ||||||||
| Contractor | ISC Kosmotras | ||||||||
| Orbital parameters | |||||||||
| Reference system | Geocentric | ||||||||
| Regime | Low Earth | ||||||||
| Perigee altitude | 718 kilometres (446 mi)[2] | ||||||||
| Apogee altitude | 732 kilometres (455 mi)[2] | ||||||||
| Inclination | 92.03 degrees[2] | ||||||||
| Period | 99.16 minutes[2] | ||||||||
| Epoch | 24 January 2015, 20:44:24 UTC[2] | ||||||||
| Transponders | |||||||||
| Band | S Band (TT&C support) X Band (science data acquisition) | ||||||||
| Bandwidth | 8kbit/s download (S Band) 100 Mbit/s download (X Band) 2 kbit/s upload (S Band) | ||||||||
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 ESA Earth insignia for the CryoSat-2 mission | |||||||||
CryoSat-2 is a European Space Agency (ESA) Earth Explorer Mission that launched on April 8, 2010.[3] CryoSat-2 is dedicated to measuring polar sea ice thickness and monitoring changes in ice sheets.[4] Its primary objective is to measure the thinning of Arctic sea ice, but has applications to other regions and scientific purposes, such as Antarctica and oceanography.[5]
CryoSat-2 was built as a replacement for CryoSat-1, which failed to reach orbit following a launch failure in October 2005.[6] CryoSat-2 was successfully launched five years later in 2010, with upgraded software aiming to measure changes in ice thickness to an accuracy of ~10% of the expected interannual variation.[7] Unlike previous satellite altimetry missions, CryoSat-2 provides unparalleled Arctic coverage, reaching 88˚N (previous missions were limited to 81.5˚N).[8]
The primary payload of the mission is a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) Interferometric Radar Altimeter (SIRAL), which measures surface elevation.[9] By subtracting the difference between the surface height of the ocean and the surface height of sea ice, the sea ice freeboard (the portion of ice floating above the sea surface) can be calculated. Freeboard can be converted to sea ice thickness by assuming the sea ice is floating in hydrostatic equilibrium.[10]
CryoSat-2 is part of ESA's wider CryoSat mission in the Living Planet Programme.[11] The spacecraft was constructed by EADS Astrium, and launched by ISC Kosmotras using a Dnepr carrier rocket. On 22 October 2010, CryoSat-2 was declared operational following six months of on-orbit testing.[12]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
LLwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c d e "CRYOSAT 2 Satellite details 2010-013A NORAD 36508". N2YO. 24 January 2015. Archived from the original on 25 May 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
- ^ "Earth Explorers: ESA's world-class research missions". www.esa.int. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
- ^ "CryoSat". www.esa.int. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
- ^ "CryoSat-2 Product Handbook" (PDF). The European Space Agency. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "ESA's ice mission". www.esa.int. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
- ^ "Facts and figures". www.esa.int. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
- ^ Tilling, Rachel L.; Ridout, Andy; Shepherd, Andrew (15 September 2018). "Estimating Arctic sea ice thickness and volume using CryoSat-2 radar altimeter data". Advances in Space Research. The CryoSat Satellite Altimetry Mission: Eight Years of Scientific Exploitation. 62 (6): 1203–1225. Bibcode:2018AdSpR..62.1203T. doi:10.1016/j.asr.2017.10.051. ISSN 0273-1177. S2CID 59394037.
- ^ "CryoSat-2 Product Handbook" (PDF). The European Space Agency. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ Laxon, Seymour W.; Giles, Katharine A.; Ridout, Andy L.; Wingham, Duncan J.; Willatt, Rosemary; Cullen, Robert; Kwok, Ron; Schweiger, Axel; Zhang, Jinlun; Haas, Christian; Hendricks, Stefan (28 February 2013). "CryoSat-2 estimates of Arctic sea ice thickness and volume". Geophysical Research Letters. 40 (4): 732–737. Bibcode:2013GeoRL..40..732L. doi:10.1002/grl.50193. hdl:1912/5923. S2CID 396075.
- ^ "ESA's ice mission". www.esa.int. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
- ^ "CryoSat-2 Earth Explorer Opportunity Mission-2". ESA eoPortal. Archived from the original on 29 June 2015. Retrieved 20 October 2013.