SARAL: The Satellite with ARGOS and ALTIKA
The Satellite with ARGOS and ALTIKA (SARAL) is a joint Indo-French satellite mission for oceanographic studies. SARAL performs altimetric measurements designed to study ocean circulation and sea surface elevation.
The payloads of SARAL are:
- Ka band Altimeter, ALTIKA- built by the French National Space Agency CNES. The payload is intended for oceanographic applications, operates at 35.75 Giga Hertz.
- ARGOS Data Collection System- built by the French National Space Agency CNES. ARGOS contributes to the development and operational implementation of the global ARGOS Data Collection System. It will collect a variety of data from ocean buoys to transmit the same to the ARGOS Ground Segment for subsequent processing and distribution.
- Solid State C-band Transponder (SCBT) is from ISRO and intended for ground RADAR calibration. It is a continuation of such support provided by C-Band Transponders flown in the earlier IRS-P3 and IRS-P5 missions.
The payloads of SARAL are accommodated in the Indian Mini Satellite-2 bus, which is built by ISRO.
SARAL Applications
SARAL data products will be useful for operational as well as research user communities in many fields like
- Marine meteorology and sea state forecasting
- Operational oceanography
- Seasonal forecasting
- Climate monitoring
- Ocean, earth system and climate research
- Continental ice studies
- Protection of biodiversity
- Management and protection of marine ecosystem
- Environmental monitoring
- Improvement of maritime security
| Lift-off Mass | 407 kg |
| Orbit | 781 km polar Sun synchronous |
| Sensors | 4 PI sun sensors, magnetometer, star sensors and miniaturised gyro based Inertial Reference Unit |
| Orbit Inclination | 98.538o |
| Local Time of Equator | 18:00 hours crossing |
| Power | Solar Array generating 906 W and 46.8 Ampere-hour Lithium-ion battery |
| Onboard data storage | 32 Gb |
| Attitude and Orbit Control | 3-axis stabilisation with reaction wheels, Hydrazine Control System based thrusters |
| Mission Life | 5 years |
| Launch date | Feb 25, 2013 |
| Launch site | SDSC SHAR Centre, Sriharikota, India |
| Launch vehicle | PSLV - C20 |
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