RADARSAT
A Canadian satellite equipped with a powerful synthetic
aperture radar (SAR) – the world's first civilian satellite SAR
– that is an important source of environmental and resource information.
RADARSAT's steerable, 15-meter-wide SAR dish collects images of the ocean
and land, with a resolution of 8–100 m, irrespective of weather conditions
and the time of day. Its data is used by shipping companies in North America,
Europe and Asia and by government agencies that carry out ice reconnaissance
and mapping, and is also a valuable tool for mapping Earth's structural
features such as faults, folds, and lineaments. These features provide clues
to the distribution of ground water, mineral deposits, and oil and gas in
the planet's crust. RADARSAT can facilitate the mapping and planning of
land use and monitor disasters such as oil spills, floods and earthquakes.
It also provides the first routine surveillance of the entire Arctic –
covering the Arctic daily and most of Canada every three days from a sun-synchronous
orbit.
| launch date |
Nov. 4, 1995 |
| launch vehicle |
Delta 7925 |
| launch site |
Vandenberg Air Force Base |
| orbit |
790 × 792 km × 99° |
| mass |
2,713 kg |
Related categories
• SATELLITES
AND SPACE PROBES
• CANADA
IN SPACE
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