About NovaSAR-1
Launched on 16 September 2018, NovaSAR-1 features an S-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) instrument offering a variety of modes with different resolutions and swath widths.
| Orbit Altitude | 583 km |
| Orbit Type | Sun-synchronous |
| Orbit Period | 96.3 mins |
| Orbit Inclination | 97.5° |
| Equatorial Crossing Time | 10:30 h |
| Repeat Cycle | 16 days |
This mission is considered a Third Party Mission under evaluation. The evaluation will tackle cal/val activities and assess the product specifications. This analysis will be performed in the framework of the Earthnet Data Assessment Pilot (EDAP). The evaluation will also allow any interested user to investigate the suitability of the data for scientific and R&D activities.
NovaSAR-1 Objectives
The primary objective of NovaSAR-1 is to make SAR observation missions more affordable to a customer base and to open up new applications in the S-band microwave region of the electromagnetic spectrum.
NovaSAR-1 Instruments
The SAR payload onboard NovaSAR-1 operates in the S-band microwave frequency (3.2 GHz), corresponding to a 9.4 cm wavelength, which is less common in spaceborne SAR systems than the X-, C-or L-bands.
| Type | Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) |
| Imaging Frequency Band | 3.1 – 3.3 GHz (S-Band) |
| Polarisation Modes | Single, Dual, Triple |
| Antenna Looking Direction | Left or Right |
| Incidence Angle | 11.29 – 32.01° |
| Geolocation Accuracy | <50 m |
NovaSAR-1 offers three imaging modes (Stripmap, ScanSAR, and ScanSAR Wide) with various swath widths and spatial resolutions that can be chosen to best suit the needs of the user. All modes can be operated in either right-looking or left-looking antenna pointing directions and from an ascending (South to North) or descending (North to South) orbit.
| Stripmap | ScanSAR | ScanSAR Wide | |
| Resolution | 6 m | 20 m | 30 – 50 m |
| Swath Width | 13 – 20 km | 50 – 100 km | 50 – 195 km |
| Polarisation | HH or VV | HH, VV and HV | HH, VV and HV |
| Incidence Angle | 16 – 31.2° | 11.29 – 32.01° | 11.82 – 31.18° |
NovaSAR-1 Data
DATA COLLECTIONS
ESA is offering, via a dedicated Announcement of Opportunity, access to new acquisition data from the NovaSAR-1 mission. Access to NovaSAR-1 data is granted subject to approval of a submitted project proposal.
The following collection is available: