OSCM #2 - Payload Concept & Performance

Abstract

Direct measurement of ocean currents at sub-mesoscale resolutions is one of the main observational gaps left in the quest to understand the dynamics of ocean processes and ocean-atmosphere interactions. Working towards closing this gap, ESA has initiated a number of studies in order to develop a mission concept, based on a dual-beam along-track SAR interferometer. In this line, a team consisting of OHB System (Germany/Bremen), DLR (Microwaves and Radar Institute, Germany/Oberpfaffenhofen), MDA (Satellite Systems Unit, Canada/Montreal), and NERSC (Mohn-Sverdrup Center, Norway/Bergen), has been awarded a contract to develop a mission and instrument concept for the measurement of the Total Ocean Surface Current Vector (TSCV), based on a single-platform dual-beam ATI-SAR system. This work will present on the major outcomes of this study concerning the instrument concept and performance based on the mission requirements and necessary system parameter trade-offs.