RADARSAT-1, which ceased operations in 2013, provided useful information to both commercial and scientific users in such fields as disaster management, interferometry, agriculture, cartography, hydrology, forestry, oceanography, ice studies and coastal monitoring.

RADARSAT-2 is an advanced state-of-the-art technology satellite mission with the objective to:

• Continue Canada's RADARSAT programme and develop an Earth observation satellite business through a private sector-led arrangement with the federal government
• Provide data continuity to RADARSAT-1 users and offer data for new applications tailored to market needs

Applications of RADARSAT-1 SAR data included:

• Agriculture and land cover monitoring. Measure of soil moisture, assess crop conditions, update land cover maps
• Forestry (boreal and tropical). Detect clear cuts, update forest inventories, map depletions, map forest fires, assess regeneration, monitor land use changes
• Geology. Detect structural and lithologic features, assess geohazards (landslides), extract geomorphological information
• Hydrology. Measure flood extent, improve hydrological modeling, assess flood damage
• Coastal zones and oceans. Detect and track vessels, detect wind and wave spectra, detect mesoscale ocean features, monitor coastline changes
• Cartography and land use. Update topologic maps, create digital elevation models, create land use and land cover maps

RADARSAT-2 is an advanced state-of-the-art technology follow-on satellite mission of RADARSAT-1. The priorities of the mission respond to the challenges of:

• Monitoring the environment
• Managing natural resources
• Performing coastal surveillance.