COSMO-SkyMed Constellation Evaluation (Air Force)
Abstract
COSMO-SkyMed a constellation of four Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites manufactured by eGEOS in Via Cannizzaro, Italy that will provide a rapid revisit, 24-hour, global coverage of the planet a capability which does not yet exist in the commercial remote sensing arena. Resolutions vary from sub-meter through several tens of meters, depending on acquisition mode, and multi-polarization modes will provide different aspects of each target. The primary outputs and efficiencies to be evaluated are the improvements it will make to our imaging capabilities. Current technology involving commercial SAR imagery is limited by resolution, polarization, and global surveillance coverage. Current operational commercial SAR satellites image down to eight meters in resolution. COSMO-SkyMed is anticipated to provide sub-meter resolution images with a rapid revisit, 24-hour, global coverage. The ability to accomplish this is based on four Cosmo satellites in the same orbit path, operating in a cooperative manner. For the warfighter and mission planner, this capability will provide four times the surveillance capability at an eighth of the resolution, along with quad polarization. No other commercial SAR satellite platform can offer this capability or operational redundancy. Additionally, current commercial SAR satellites are nearing the end of their lifespan and need to be replaced by more advanced systems.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Accomplishment
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2011
- Source ID
- d2409e7223dc70dc3c5e65bc185f137a