Bistatic WITTEX: an innovative constellation of radar altimeter satellites

Describes a bistatic extension to the original WITTEX approach to oceanographic radar altimetry from space. An error analysis of the bistatic link shows that the system timing and height measurement strategy can be designed to retain accuracy comparable to that of nadir-sensing instruments. In a WITTEX constellation, two or more radar altimeter satellites are inserted from one launch vehicle into the same orbit plane. Earth rotation separates their respective surface tracks by distances that are proportional to the along-orbit spacing between the satellites. Monostatic altimeters on n spacecraft together with bistatic altimetric links between adjacent spacecraft generate (2n-1) surface tracks of accurate height data in a bistatic WITTEX constellation.