MissionsFuture missions

| Saral | Sentinel 3 | Jason-3 | Jason-CS | SWOT

4.3.1.Saral

(Credits Geko) Satellite Saral Launch 2012 Mission Measure sea surface height Altitude ~800 km Inclination 98.55°

An Isro (Indian Space Research Organization) satellite, Saral (Satellite with ARgos and ALtika), will embark the AltiKa altimeter (working in Ka-band, 35 GHz), built by Cnes, as well as a Doris instrument. Signal frequencies in the Ka-band will enable better observation of ice, rain, coastal zones, land masses (forests, etc.), and wave heights.

The Saral mission is complementary to Jason-2. Its objectives are:

• " to carry out precise, repetitive global measurements of sea surface height, significant wave heights and wind speed, for:
  • developing operational oceanography;
  • improving understanding of the climate and developing forecasting capabilities;
  • operational meteorology.
• to ensure, in association with Jason-2, the continuity of the service currently provided by the altimeters onboard Envisat and Jason-1,
• to meet the requirements expressed by various international ocean and climate study programmes, and contribute to building a global ocean observing system.

The proposed payload will integrate:

• a high-resolution AltiKa altimeter that incorporates a dual-frequency radiometric function,
• the DORIS precise orbitography system, in association with a laser retroreflector (LRA).

The launch of this mission is planned for 2011, with a life of 3 years (2 year for the nominal phase, and one year for the extended phase). This mission is a cooperation between Cnes and Isro.

Further information:

• the AltiKa instrument
• Saral/Altika on the Space Scientific Missions of the Cnes (SMSC) website: mission objectives, latest news, etc