Cryosat

ESA

Spacecraft nº:

ESA spacecraft nº: 57

Launch data:

Designation	05F03
Launch date	08 Oct 2005 - 15:02 UT
Launch site	Pl, LC-133
Launch vehicle	Rokot-KM
Mission	Science, Radar Altitude Mission
Decay	08 Oct 2005

Launch Failure

Spacecraft data:

Prime contractor	Astrium
Operator	ESA
Platform
Mass at launch	750 kg
Dry Mass	kg
Basic shape
Dimension
Equipment	Radar Altimeter (SIRAL), DORIS, Laser-Retroreflector
Solar array
Stabilization
DC power

The CryoSat uses radar altimeters to determine the thickness of Earth's continental ice sheets and marine sea ice cover. CryoSat is an Earth Explorer Opportunity Mission in ESA's Living Planet Program.

Mission elements are:

Radar Altimetry Mission with different novel observation techniques
Synthetic Aperture Processing along-track to increase resolution
Interferometric Observations across-track with second antenna for steeper terrain slopes
Observation of elevation changes over ice sheets, glaciers and ice caps
Estimation of freeboard elevation of floating sea ice

Three instruments are mounted on the spacecraft

Altimeter SIRAL
DORIS receiver
Laser reflector

Mission details:

The launch of CryoSat on 8 october 2005 resulted in loss of the satellite following a failure in the launch vehicle at the planned time of stage-2 engine shutdown. An explosion at about 40 km altitude showered finely fragmented debris within the planned stage-2 drop zone some 120 km from the North Pole.

The launch of CryoSat-2 is planned for March 2009.

Ref.: #7, #14, #100 - update: 24.09.06

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