AltiKa altimeter provides a signal-to-noise ratio which has never been obtained before. The Argos-3 onboard package represents the newest generation of the Argos system. All links, both up and down, are encrypted to prevent unauthorized access to the data. The Ka-band is envisioned for several new altimetric satellite projects (i.e. Aluminum honey comb sandwich structure with 4 vertical panels and 2 horizontal decks Bhd. The Argos-3 onboard instrument is composed of the following components: All these satellites have been commercially contracted for launch through ISRO's commercial arm Antrix Corporation Limited. Orbit of HySIS: Sun-synchronous orbit, altitude of 636.6 km, inclination of 97.957º. Before launch, concerns were raised about the sensitivity of the Ka-band to rain events, leading to missing and invalid measurements.
Students can start the test anytime within the window period. • NEOSSat (Near-Earth Object Surveillance Satellite), a microsatellite of Canada with a mass of ~74 kg.
BlackSky plans to deploy a constellation of up to sixty satellites. The SARAL spacecraft has a mass budget of about 407 kg.
The maximum capacity of SSR is 64 Gbit. The objective is to assure the interconnection and switching between the antenna, the radiometer receivers, and the radiometer calibration loads or horn. - After a quick validation performed by the mission project, the Near Real Time products (OGDR and IGDR) have been delivered in "T" version (for test) to the SARAL/AltiKa PIs from, respectively, 21st and 28th March, 2013. The LRA is a passive system used to locate the satellite with laser shots from ground stations with an accuracy of a few millimeters. The bottom deck of the minisatellite bus is measuring 900 mm x 900 mm providing an interface with launch vehicle. The combination of two altimetry missions in orbit has a considerable impact on the reconstruction of SSH (Sea Surface Height), reducing the mean mapping error by a factor of 4. Experts can use these measurements to glean temperature, pressure and humidity information for weather forecasting and climate change monitoring. The satellite's payload also consists of a 730 W power backup, and a 64 Ah Li-ion battery.
3) The antenna has a smaller beamwidth due to the increase in signal frequency, thus providing a smaller footprint in the target area. The MetOp-A spacecraft of EUMETSAT (launch Oct. 19, 2006) is carrying the first Argos-3 instrument demonstrator package. The University of Toronto arranged for the launch to carry three small satellites for universities as part of its Nanosatellite Launch Services program, designated NLS-8: BRITE-Austria, UniBRITE and AAUSat3.
This makes possible to increase significantly the number of independent echoes per second compared with Ku-band altimeters.
The launcher interface uses a Merman clamp band, 937VB.
• FACSAT-1, the first 3U CubeSat to be operated by the Colombian Air Force, the Fuerza Aérea Colombiana (FAC). • The higher PRF (Pulse Repetition Frequency) — 4 kHz to be compared to 2 kHz on Jason-2 — permits a decorrelation time of sea echoes at Ka-band shorter than at Ku-band, then allowing a better along-track sampling.
The critical technologies for AltiKa development concern the Ka-band functions except the radiometer receivers that are taken from the receivers of the Megha-Tropiques mission (ISRO/CNES). HySIS, the primary satellite of PSLV-C43 mission, weighing about 380 kg, is an Earth observation satellite configured around ISRO's Mini Satellite-2 (IMS-2) bus.