Mission type | Technology demonstration Earth observation | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Operator | CONAE | ||||||||||||||||||||
COSPAR ID | 2011-024A | ||||||||||||||||||||
SATCAT no. | 37673 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Website | conae.gov.ar | ||||||||||||||||||||
Mission duration | Planned: 5 years Final: 3 years, 11 months, 28 days | ||||||||||||||||||||
Spacecraft properties | |||||||||||||||||||||
Bus | Small Satellite Standard Platform [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Manufacturer | INVAP [2] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Launch mass | 1,350 kg (2,977 lb) [2] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Dimensions | 2.7 × 5.0 m (8.9 × 16.4 ft) [2] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Power | 1,362 watts [2] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Start of mission | |||||||||||||||||||||
Launch date | 10 June 2011, 14:20:13 UTC [3] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Rocket | Delta II 7320-10C | ||||||||||||||||||||
Launch site | Vandenberg SLC-2W | ||||||||||||||||||||
Contractor | United Launch Alliance | ||||||||||||||||||||
End of mission | |||||||||||||||||||||
Disposal | Spacecraft failure | ||||||||||||||||||||
Last contact | 8 June 2015 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Orbital parameters | |||||||||||||||||||||
Reference system | Geocentric | ||||||||||||||||||||
Regime | Low Earth | ||||||||||||||||||||
Semi-major axis | 7,031.6 km (4,369.2 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Eccentricity | 0.000181 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Perigee altitude | 652.2 km (405.3 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Apogee altitude | 654.7 km (406.8 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Inclination | 98.0 degrees | ||||||||||||||||||||
Period | 97.8 minutes | ||||||||||||||||||||
Epoch | 17 December 2015, 15:47:23 UTC [4] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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SAC-D (Spanish : Satélite de Aplicaciones Científicas-D, meaning Satellite for Scientific Applications-D), also known as Aquarius after its primary instrument, is an Argentine Earth science satellite built by INVAP and operated by CONAE. [1] SAC-D was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base on 10 June 2011, with a planned mission life of five years. [1] Due to a power system failure, the mission was ended on 8 June 2015. [5]
SAC-D was an international collaboration between the space agencies of Argentina and the United States, CONAE and NASA, with participation from Brazil (INPE), Canada (CSA), France (CNES) and Italy (ASI). [6] It carried five Earth observation instruments (NASA, CONAE, CSA, ASI), two space science instruments (CNES), a data collection instrument (CONAE), and a technology demonstration system (CONAE). [6] [7] [8]
The spacecraft's main instrument, Aquarius, was built by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Goddard Space Flight Center. [6] It collected data from 25 August 2011 to 7 June 2015, exceeding its intended three year primary mission. [1] [9] Aquarius' mission was to demonstrate that accurate measurements of salinity could be made from space, and was the first spaceborne instrument to use both passive radiometers and active radar in the L band. [1] [6] By measuring ocean salinity, scientists are better able to understand the Earth's water cycle and ocean circulation. [6] Project scientists later derived a method of pulling soil moisture data from Aquarius' radiometer. [1]
NASA launched SAC-D from Vandenberg Air Force Base's Space Launch Complex 2W aboard a Delta II 7320-10C on 10 June 2011 at 14:20:13 UTC. [1] [10] The launch was delayed from May 2010 because development of the spacecraft was taking longer than expected. [11]
The Aquarius instrument's surface salinity measurements contributed to a better understanding of ocean dynamics and advancing climate and ocean models, both from season to season and year to year. The models still are improving El Niño prediction. Aquarius global salinity maps show how freshwater plumes coming from the mouth of large rivers and the precipitation and evaporation over the oceans affect the salinity structure of the ocean.
“The Aquarius sensor collected three years and nine months of valuable data. It was truly a pioneering effort to determine how accurately we could measure ocean salinity from space and for the first time study large and small-scale interactions of the global water cycle.” Aquarius principal investigator Gary Lagerloef of Earth & Space Research, Seattle.
Aquarius provided information into the natural exchange of freshwater between the ocean, atmosphere and sea ice, which influences ocean circulation, weather and climate.
Data from Aquarius showed how extreme floods affect the seas and how low-salinity river plumes affect hurricane intensity. Aquarius data was important to the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS), a year-long international field study of the oceanographic processes that sustain the maximum surface salinities in the central subtropical North Atlantic, and influence global ocean circulation.
The Aquarius instrument successfully achieved its science objectives and completed its primary three-year mission in November 2014. [12]
On 7 June 2015 at 12:53:17 UTC, telemetry indicated a failure of the spacecraft's Remote Terminal Unit (RTU), causing loss of onboard power regulation and attitude stabilization. While efforts were made to recover the spacecraft, the mission was declared over on 8 June. [9] [12]
Abbreviation | Name | Operator | Purpose [7] |
---|---|---|---|
— | Aquarius | NASA | Ocean salinity research |
MWR | Microwave Radiometer | CONAE | Radiometry |
NIRST | New Infrared Sensor Technology | CONAE CSA | Infrared imagery, determination of sea temperatures |
HSC | High Sensitivity Camera | CONAE | Imaging of aurorae, fires, and lights |
DCS | Data Collection System | CONAE | Collection of data provided by platforms on Earth. Compatible with Argos system |
TDP | Technological Demonstration Package | CONAE | Technology demonstration involving GPS navigation and inertial guidance |
ROSA | Radio Occultation Sounder for Atmosphere | ASI | Measurement of temperature and humidity in the atmosphere |
ICARE-NG | Influence of Space Radiation on Advanced Components-New Generation | CNES | Part of CARMEN-1 mission; study of cosmic radiation and its effects on electronics |
SODAD | Orbital System for an Active Detection of Debris | CNES | Part of CARMEN-1 mission; study of particles and debris in space |
The Earth Observing System (EOS) is a program of NASA comprising a series of artificial satellite missions and scientific instruments in Earth orbit designed for long-term global observations of the land surface, biosphere, atmosphere, and oceans. Since the early 1970s, NASA has been developing its Earth Observing System, launching a series of Landsat satellites in the decade. Some of the first included passive microwave imaging in 1972 through the Nimbus 5 satellite. Following the launch of various satellite missions, the conception of the program began in the late 1980s and expanded rapidly through the 1990s. Since the inception of the program, it has continued to develop, including; land, sea, radiation and atmosphere. Collected in a system known as EOSDIS, NASA uses this data in order to study the progression and changes in the biosphere of Earth. The main focus of this data collection surrounds climatic science. The program is the centrepiece of NASA's Earth Science Enterprise.
Television InfraRed Observation Satellite (TIROS) is a series of early weather satellites launched by the United States, beginning with TIROS-1 in 1960. TIROS was the first satellite that was capable of remote sensing of the Earth, enabling scientists to view the Earth from a new perspective: space. The program, promoted by Harry Wexler, proved the usefulness of satellite weather observation, at a time when military reconnaissance satellites were secretly in development or use. TIROS demonstrated at that time that "the key to genius is often simplicity". TIROS is an acronym of "Television InfraRed Observation Satellite" and is also the plural of "tiro" which means "a young soldier, a beginner".
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The National Space Activities Commission is the civilian agency of the government of Argentina in charge of the national space programme.
INVAP S.E. is an Argentine company that provides design, integration, construction and delivery of equipment, plants and devices. The company operates in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, and delivers projects for nuclear, aerospace, chemical, medical, petroleum and governmental sectors.
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Aquarius was a NASA instrument aboard the Argentine SAC-D spacecraft. Its mission was to measure global sea surface salinity to better predict future climate conditions.
OSTM/Jason-2, or Ocean Surface Topography Mission/Jason-2 satellite, was an international Earth observation satellite altimeter joint mission for sea surface height measurements between NASA and CNES. It was the third satellite in a series started in 1992 by the NASA/CNES TOPEX/Poseidon mission and continued by the NASA/CNES Jason-1 mission launched in 2001.
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Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) is a satellite which forms part of ESA's Living Planet Programme. It is intended to provide new insights into Earth's water cycle and climate. In addition, it is intended to provide improved weather forecasting and monitoring of snow and ice accumulation.
Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) is a NASA environmental monitoring satellite that measures soil moisture across the planet. It is designed to collect a global 'snapshot' of soil moisture every 2 to 3 days. With this frequency, changes from specific storms can be measured while also assessing impacts across seasons of the year. SMAP was launched on 31 January 2015. It was one of the first Earth observation satellites developed by NASA in response to the National Research Council's Decadal Survey.
Gene Carl Feldman has been an oceanographer at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) since 1985. His primary interest has been to try to make the data that NASA gathers from its spaceborne fleet of Earth observing instruments, especially those monitoring the subtle changes in ocean color, as scientifically credible, readily understandable and as easily available to the broadest group of people possible. He has been involved in a number of past and present NASA missions including the Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS), the Sea-Viewing Wide Field Sensor (SeaWiFS) and the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and along with the NASA Ocean Biology Processing group which he co-leads, been given the responsibility for designing, implementing and operating the data processing and mission operations component of ocean salinity mission called Aquarius, a space mission developed by NASA and the Space Agency of Argentina - Comisión Nacional de Actividades Espaciales (CONAE) that was successfully launched in June 2011 and began routine operations on December 1, 2011 and completed its prime mission in June 2015.
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