Envisat Mission

Objectives and Applications

Physical oceanography, land surface, ice and snow, atmospheric chemistry, atmospheric dynamics/water and energy cycles.

Mission Summary

Full Name
Environmental Satellite
Mission Status
Mission complete
Mission Agencies
ESA
Launch Date
01 Mar 2002
Mission Links
mission site | data access portal
EOL Date
08 Apr 2012
EO Portal Info

Orbit Details

Orbit Type
Sun-synchronous
Orbit Period
100.5 minutes
Orbit Sense
Descending
Orbit Inclination
98.52 deg
Orbit Altitude
782 km
Orbit Longitude
Orbit LST
10:30
Repeat Cycle
35 days
NORAD Catalog #
27386 (TLE)
International Designator
2002-009A

Mission Instruments

AATSR - Advanced Along-Track Scanning Radiometer
ASAR - Advanced Synthetic-Aperture Radar
ASAR (image mode) - Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (Image mode)
ASAR (wave mode) - Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (Wave mode)
DORIS-NG - Doppler Orbitography and Radio-positioning Integrated by Satellite-New Generation
ENVISAT Comms - Communications package on ENVISAT
GOMOS - Global Ozone Monitoring by Occultation of Stars
MERIS - Medium-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer
MIPAS - Michelson Interferometric Passive Atmosphere Sounder
MWR - Microwave Radiometer
RA-2 - Radar Altimeter - 2
SCIAMACHY - Scanning Imaging Absorption Spectrometer for Atmospheric Chartography

Mission Measurements

CategoryParameterInstrument(s)
AtmosphereAerosols AATSR, GOMOS, MERIS, SCIAMACHY
Atmospheric Humidity Fields GOMOS, MIPAS, MWR, RA-2
Cloud type, amount and cloud top temperature AATSR, MERIS, SCIAMACHY
Cloud particle properties and profile MERIS
Ozone GOMOS, MIPAS, SCIAMACHY
Radiation budget AATSR, MERIS, SCIAMACHY
Trace gases (excluding ozone) GOMOS, MIPAS, SCIAMACHY
Atmospheric Temperature Fields GOMOS, MIPAS
Gravity and Magnetic FieldsGravity, Magnetic and Geodynamic measurements DORIS-NG, RA-2
LandAlbedo and reflectance AATSR, MERIS
Landscape topography ASAR, ASAR (image mode), RA-2
Soil moisture ASAR, ASAR (image mode)
Vegetation AATSR, ASAR, ASAR (image mode), MERIS
Surface temperature (land) AATSR
Multi-purpose imagery (land) AATSR, ASAR, ASAR (image mode), MERIS
OceanOcean colour/biology MERIS
Ocean topography/currents ASAR, ASAR (image mode), ASAR (wave mode), DORIS-NG, RA-2
Ocean surface winds ASAR, ASAR (image mode), ASAR (wave mode), RA-2
Surface temperature (ocean) AATSR
Ocean wave height and spectrum ASAR, ASAR (image mode), ASAR (wave mode), RA-2
Multi-purpose imagery (ocean) AATSR, ASAR, ASAR (image mode), MERIS
Snow & IceIce sheet topography ASAR, RA-2
Snow cover, edge and depth ASAR, ASAR (image mode), MERIS
Sea ice cover, edge and thickness AATSR, ASAR, ASAR (image mode), MERIS, RA-2

Featured Datasets

Envisat DC
Jul-2020
Envisat was ESA's successor to ERS. Launched on 1 March 2002 on an Ariane-5 rocket from Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana, Envisat was the largest Earth observation spacecraft ever built with 10 instruments aboard and at eight tonnes was the largest civilian Earth observation mission ever launched. More advanced imaging radar, radar altimeter and temperature-measuring radiometer instruments extended ERS data sets. This was supplemented by new instruments including a medium-resolution spectrometer sensitive to both land features and ocean colour. Envisat also carried two atmospheric sensors monitoring trace gases. - Read more
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