Alternative data for the replacement of the Sentinel-1B radar satellite

In connection with the failure of the Sentinel-1B radar satellite on December 23, 2021, there is a need for an alternative source of C-band radar data.

Among the active satellites, Gaofen-3 (GF-3) and Radarsat-2 (RS-2) have the most similar characteristics. Let's compare their basic technical characteristics:

Let's take a closer look at each of the spacecraft.

Gaofen-3 is the first civil radar satellite in the C-band of the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

Satellite GF-3 is based on the ZY1000B platform developed by the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), consisting of a payload and service system. The payload includes synthetic aperture radar (SAR), a data transmission system, and antenna systems for data transmission.

The resolution ranges from 1 meter to 500 meters, and the swath width ranges from 10 kilometers to 650 kilometers. The SAR payload supports single polarization modes (HH or VV), dual polarization modes (HH+HV or VH+VV), and quad polarization (HH+HV+VH+VV) depending on the observation mode.

GF-3 has 12 imaging modes with four polarization options:

Radarsat-2 is a satellite mission jointly funded by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and MDA (MacDonald Dettwiler Associates Ltd., Richmond, British Columbia).

The spacecraft has a mass of 2200 kg, with a power of 2.4 kW at End of Life (EOL) from two solar panels measuring 3.73 m x 1.8 m each, and a single nickel-hydrogen battery with a capacity of 89 Ah. The estimated lifespan of the satellite is seven years.

RS-2 provides the following imaging modes:

More details about the satellites can be found here:

GaoFen-3 - https://innoter.com/sputniki/gaofen-3/

Radarsat-2 - https://innoter.com/sputniki/radarsat-2/

Our specialists are ready to analyze your technical and business needs and prepare the optimal technical-commercial proposal!

Next steps: Submit an application on the website with the following details:

• Location of the area of interest (coordinates, district or area name, shapefile, etc.);
• Requirements for the imaging period (period for which archival data can be used or new imaging is required);
• Determination of the required scale and accuracy, purposes of radar image usage.

Cost estimation

The cost of radar satellite images depends on:

• Number of images ordered;
• Archive or new imaging;
• Imaging mode;
• Product variant;
• Spatial resolution of the image;
• Scene size in kilometers.

Service delivery time - from 5 (five) working days