ERS 2

ESA / Europe

European Remote Sensing Satellite

Launch data:

Designation 23560 / 95021A
Launch date 21 Apr 1995 - 01:44:02 UT
Launch site Ko, ELA2
Launch vehicle  Ariane 40 (V72)
MissionGovernment: Earth Science
Sun-Synchronous LEO Earth orbit:
Perigee / Apogee 783 x 785 km
Eccentricity 1,40E-04
Inclination 98.5 deg
Period 100.53 min

It has gyroscope problems.

Specifications:

Prime contractorEuropean Space Agency
Platform MMS Spot (Mark 1)
OperatorESA
Mass at launch2510 kg
Payload mass 1100 kg
Dry mass 2080 kg
Length 11.8 m
Solar array 11.7 x 2.4 m
SAR antenna 10 x 1 m
Radar altimeter 1.2 m (diameter)
Stabilization3-axis
DC power2500 W (BOL)
Design lifetime3 yrs

Downlink: 2225 MHz

End of live:

End of Operation:  Sep 2011
Cause:  
Reentered date:  
Lifetime: 

AMI (Active Microwave Instrument)

Frequency 5.3 GHz (C-band)
SAR resolution 26 m
SAR swath width 99 km
Scatterometer resolution 47 km
Scatterometer swath width 613 km (fore and aft)
809 km (mid)

Mission: payload all-weather high-resolution images of land and ocean, windspeed and direction, ice mapping, pollution monitoring.

RA (Radar Altimeter)

Frequency 13.8 GHz (Ku-band)
Accuracy (wave height) +/- 0.5 m
Altitude accuracy 0.1 m

Mission: windspeed and sea surface elevation, ice sheet topography.

ATSR (Along-Track Scanning Radiometer)

Wavelengths 1.6, 3.7, 10.8 and 12.0 µm
Accuracy (sea surface temperature) +/- 0.5 K

Mission: images of sea surface temperature, total water vapour content of atmosphere, cloud, aerosols, haze, land and ice surface emissivity.

Microwave Sounder

Frequency 23.8 and 36.5 GHz
Altitude accuracy 0.02 m

GOME (Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment)

Waveband 0.24-0.79 µm
Resolution 40 x 40 km max. (horizontal)
1 km (vertical)
Swath width 120-960 km

Mission: stratospheric and tropospheric ozone profiles, cloud distribution and surface spectral reflection.

Also equipped with Laser Reflectometer (LR), Precise Range and Range-rate Equipment (PRARE) and Instrument Data Handling and Transmission (IDHT). The on board tape recorder (6.5 gigabit) can store data from a full orbit.

Earth resources spacecraft; measure ocean surface and waves, temperatures; monitor ozone and ozone-destroying gases; ocean currents and changes in Arctic and Antarctic ice.
The telemetry is sent in S-band. The scientific data and a replication of the telemetry is sent on 2 X-band transponders.
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