SAOCOM PROJECTa joint Argentine-Italian SAR-L Mission

Mission update 2014 and

outline of the Global Background Mission

Laura FrullaCONAE

CEOS SDCG-5ESRIN, Frascati/Italy Feb 24-26, 2014

COMISION NACIONAL DE ACTIVIDADES ESPACIALES

2CEOS SDCG-5Frascati, Italy – Sep 24-26, 2014

Mission Overview

A constellationconstellation of two identical satellites, SAOCOM SAOCOM 1A 1A and SAOCOM 1B, SAOCOM 1B, carrying each one a polarimetric L-band SARpolarimetric L-band SAR instrument (1,275 GHz) (1,275 GHz)

Sun synchronousSun synchronous, nearly circular frozencircular frozen polarpolar orbit (06:12 am LTAN/619.6 km) with identical orbital characteristics as COSMO-SkyMedCOSMO-SkyMed

repeat cycle of repeat cycle of 16 days16 days for each satellite for each satellite (8 days for the constellation)(8 days for the constellation)

Mission target lifetime: 5 years5 years

3CEOS SDCG-5Frascati, Italy – Sep 24-26, 2014

Mission Update 2014

Mission Critical Design Review (M-CDRM-CDR) in Nov. 2013 Passed OKPassed OK

Flight Segment Qualification Review Step 1: April 2014

SAR Protoflight Model: March 2015

Flight Segment Qualification Review Step 2: May 2015

Ground Segment Qualification Review: Sept. 2015

Launch Readiness Review: Nov. 2015

Launch schedule:SAOCOM 1A: 2015SAOCOM 1B: 2016

4CEOS SDCG-5Frascati, Italy – Sep 24-26, 2014

Satellite and Ground segments

Satellite segment capacity specifications:

Capacity to acquire and downlink >225 images per day per satellite, i.e. >450 for the constellation.

Ground segment capacity specifications:

Average daily number of catalogue consultations: in the order of 5000

The CONAE user Service shall be able to handle at least 500 image requests per day. Each request may induce one or more SAOCOM programming requests to be issued to the MOC.

The CONAE user Service shall be able to process 200 SAOCOM products per day, inside the response time, up to level 1D products.

5CEOS SDCG-5Frascati, Italy – Sep 24-26, 2014

SAOCOM – Baseline mission

Fixed acquisitions:

• For soil moisture

– over the Pampas (main Argentinian region dedicated to agriculture and cattle – 83 Mha)

• Sensor calibration

– Specific point targets in Argentina and Italy (Europe)

– Homogeneous rain forest areas in the Amazon and Congo basins

6CEOS SDCG-5Frascati, Italy – Sep 24-26, 2014

SAOCOM – Foreground mission

Variable acquisitions (world-wide)

• User requests through CONAE’s Spatial Information Cycles programme (from Argentina and abroad)

• ASI interest area, including exclusivity areaASI Exclusivity Area: Full utilisation rights of SAOCOM

ASI Area of Interest: Rights to use SAOCOM for research, risk management, health applications and Governmental use.

7CEOS SDCG-5Frascati, Italy – Sep 24-26, 2014

SAOCOM – Background mission(referred to the Argentine interest)

To foresee acquisitions of certain valuable data to generate a data base useful for future uses according to available resources

Fixed acquisitions

• Argentinian institutional users

• National acquisition plan developed. Predetermined acquisition plans for (20) dedicated application areas defined by Argentinian institutions and user groups

– Natural resources mapping, Emergency mitigation, volcanoes, maritime surveillance, etc.

8CEOS SDCG-5Frascati, Italy – Sep 24-26, 2014

SAOCOM –Background Mission (world wide)

Global Background Mission (GBM)

• GBM currently under development for SAOCOM-1A and SAOCOM-1B

• CONAE thematic objective: Forest biomass

• Building consistent archives over global forests

– First focus: Forests in the pan-tropical zone

– Second focus: Siberian forests

– Third: Others (TBD)

9CEOS SDCG-5Frascati, Italy – Sep 24-26, 2014

SAOCOM – Background Mission (world wide)

Global Background Mission

•Annual dual season pan-tropical observations

10CEOS SDCG-5Frascati, Italy – Sep 24-26, 2014

SAOCOM – Background Mission (world wide)

Global Background Mission

•Annual dual season pan-tropical observations

11CEOS SDCG-5Frascati, Italy – Sep 24-26, 2014

SAOCOM – Background Mission (world wide)

Global Background Mission

•Second priority: Siberian boreal zone

12CEOS SDCG-5Frascati, Italy – Sep 24-26, 2014

SAOCOM – Background Mission (world wide)

Global Background Mission

•Compliant with CEOS/SDCG recommendations

– Repetitive annual observations over the pan-tropical zone

– Dual season (wet and dry)

– Fine spatial resolution (10m)

– Dual polarisation (HH+HV)

•Max acquisition time for GBM 5 min/orbit to minimise impact on high priority observations

•Acquisition planning for SAOCOM-1B has started (Sept 2013)