MWR

Micro-Wave Radiometer

Satellites

ERS-1, ERS-2 and Envisat

Status

Operational – Utilised in the period 1991 to ~ 2013

Mission

Water vapour correction for the radar altimeter (RA on ERS-1/2, RA-2 on Envisat)

Instrument type

2-frequency MW radiometer, 23.8 and 36.5 GHz

Scanning technique

Nadir-only viewing, associated to the supported radar altimeter

Coverage/cycle

Global coverage in 1 month for 30 km average spacing, or in 10 days for 100 km average spacing

Resolution (s.s.p.)

20 km

Resources

Mass: 25 kg - Power: 23 W - Data rate: 16.7 kbps