The RADARSAT constellation payload design

The Canadian Space Agency completed the definition phase of the RADARSAT Constellation, a constellation of three satellites that will ensure C-band data continuity with RADARSAT-2. The first satellite is scheduled to enter in operation toward the end of the RADARSAT-2 mission, for a full implementation of the constellation in 2014-15. The RADARSAT Constellation is designed to improve significantly the availability of SAR data for main Canadian Government departments, the main applications areas being maritime surveillance, ecosystem monitoring and disaster management. An important constraint on the mission was to reduce significantly the cost of SAR data, which forced the use of new approaches in the payload design. The paper presents the initial payload design process and three techniques investigated to improve its performance.