The radar imaging satellite NovaSAR-1, carrying an Airbus S-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) built in Portsmouth, has been launched successfully. The small satellite will be used to monitor the Earth day and night, as SAR instruments can see through clouds to enable uninterrupted imaging of the Earth below, which is key when monitoring changes of features on the ground. It is also equipped with a range of imaging modes, including a 6 m resolution imaging mode with 20 km swath, a 20 m resolution mode with 100 km swath and a 30 m resolution mode with 150 km swath. These will serve a wide range of applications. The satellite has been designed to provide a high throughput of data, and can image in a variety of polarisation combinations to add additional information to acquisitions, in the form of “colour”. Mission partners signed up for capacity from NovaSAR-1 include the UK Space Agency, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Australia, and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Contact Surrey Satellite Technology, info@sstl.co.uk
