The development of the SeaWinds Scatterometer Electronics Subsystem (SES)

SeaWinds is a new spaceborne Ku-band scatterometer designed to accurately measure the amplitude backscatter return from the ocean and process the data to obtain global ocean surface wind vectors. The scatterometer is a pulsed 13.402 GHz dual polarization radar with a conical scan, pencil beam antenna. This paper provides a brief overview of the instrument and describes the major microwave and digital modules in the Scatterometer Electronics Subsystem (SES). The SES generates precise frequencies that drive the transmitter and synchronize the receiver. The received ocean backscatter signals are processed and measured to a precision of 0.15 dB in order to derive accurate wind vector data