Information>Satellites>Polar orbiting satellites>QuikSCAT

QuikSCAT

Description

Platform

QuikSCAT

Summary

QuikSCAT (Quik SCATterometer) is a satellite launched by the NASA the 19th of June 1999. The onboard SeaWinds instrument is a rotating scatterometer designed for the measurement of the surface wind speed and direction over the ocean. Thanks to its higher resolution and its wider sample pattern, value-added products with higher time and space resolution, compared to ERS, can be generated. These data are used daily in weather forecasting models and have many application in ocean research.

Agency

NASA

Orbit

polar orbiting

Launch date

19/07/1999

Status

Operational

Involvement of CERSAT

CERSAT is a mirror archive of PO.DAAC for the L2A (radar backscatter) and L2B (wind vectors) products. Colocated products with ERS AMI-Wind, ERS Radar Altimeter, TOPEX Altimeter and SSM/I are also generated. Refer to the data section.

Sensor

The SeaWinds on QuikSCAT sensor is a Ku band scatterometer operating at 13.46 GHz, using a 1-meter-diameter rotating disk that produces two spot beams, sweeping in a circular pattern. The incidence angles are respectively 46° and 54° for the inner and outer beams. The satellite altitude is about 800 km ; swath is 1800 km large for the outer beam and 1414 km for the inner beam. The polarisation is horizontal for the inner beam and vertical for the outer beam. For each 25 x 25 km cell, called Wind Vector Cell (WVC), SeaWinds measures up to 42 Sigma0 which are used to retrieve the 10 meters surface wind (module and direction).

Q_INSTRU

Ground segment

QuikSCAT data are processed by NASA and distributed to the scientific community by JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory). They are available either by FTP, or on exabyte.

CERSAT retrieves these data by Internet, or on exabyte, and makes them available to the European Community the day after. Colocated products with ERS AMI-Wind, ERS Radar Altimeter, topEX Altimeter and SSM/I are generated within 2 weeks. They are distributed on FTP and through our WWW server.