Measurements and Applications
L-band SAR instrument combining wide swath, high spatial resolution, high sensitivity, low ambiguity ratios, full polarimetric acquisition capability, and repeat-pass interferometry to support the retrieval of surface deformation over vegetated terrain, above-ground biomass density, soil moisture, land cover and land-cover change, flooded area information, ice sheet and glacier velocity, snow water, sea-ice conditions (type, concentration and motion), ocean winds and sea state conditions, as well as enhancing European maritime situational awareness.
Full Name
L-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar
Status
Approved
Instrument Agencies
Maturity
Instrument Type
Imaging microwave radars 
Geometry
Side-looking
Instrument Technology
Imaging radar (SAR)
Sampling
Imaging
Data Access
Open Access
Data Format
Resolution
50m2 (dual-pol)
[Best Resolution: 5m]
Accuracy
Radiometric accuracy 1.5 dB (3 sigma)
NESZ: -28 dB
PTAR: -25 dB
DTAR: -23 dB
Radiometric stability: 0.5 dB (3 sigma)
Waveband
L-band (1.215 – 1.3 GHz)
Compiled from the 2026 Extended Parameters Survey, agency-nominated technical contacts and published user guides; not yet collected through the annual CEOS MIM survey.
Centre Frequency
1.258 GHz
Polarisation Channels
HH · HV · VV · VH
Polarisation Modes
single · dual · quad
Look Direction
Right (nominal Right)
Source
2026 Extended Parameters Survey (ESA, 2026-10-22)
Compiled from the 2026 Extended Parameters Survey, agency-nominated technical contacts and published user guides; not yet collected through the annual CEOS MIM survey.
| Mode | Resolution az × rg (m) | Swath (km) | Incidence (°) | Polarisation | NESZ (dB) |
|---|
| ROSE-L Interferometric Wide Swath RIWS Pimary ScanSAR observation mode for global land and Arctic, ensuring full swath overlap with Sentinel-1 IWS mode | 10 × 5 | 260 | 29–46 | HH; VV; VH; HV; VV+VH; HH+HV | -28 |
| Quad-pol Wide Swath QWS ScanSAR wide swath mode acquiring in Quad-pol | 20 × 5 | 260 | 25–42 | HH+HV+VH+VV | -28 |
| ROSE-L Wave Mode RWM Wave mode acquires data in vignettes over open ocean, with capability to alternate two different incidence angles. | 10 × 5 | 20 | | HH; VV | -28 |
| ROSE-L Extra Wide Swath REWS ScanSAR extra wide swath mode aimed at capturing extreme events in open ocean and at operational flexibility. | 40 × 20 | 400 | | HH; VV; VH; HV; VV+VH; HH+HV | -30 |