Objectives and Applications
The first satellite mission with a swath altimeter, measuring mesoscale ocean features and inland water bodies at high resolution. In addition to the current applications with the nadir altimeters constellation, it aims to advance hydrology, and oceanography by capturing fine-scale features over a wide swath, supporting climate research and water resource management.
Full Name
Surface Water Ocean Topography
Mission Status
Operational (nominal)
Mission Agencies
Launch Date
16 Dec 2022
Mission Links
EOL Date
Nov 2025
Orbit Type
Inclined, non-sun-synchronous
Orbit Period
102.8 minutes
Orbit Sense
N/A
Orbit Inclination
77.6 deg
Orbit Altitude
891 km
Orbit Longitude
Orbit LST
Repeat Cycle
21 days
NORAD Catalog #
International Designator
AMR-S - AMR-S Two-Beam Microwave Radiometer |
| DGXX-S - Doppler Orbitography and Radio-positioning Integrated by Satellite (DORIS) - New Generation XX-S |
| GPSP - Global Positioning System Payload |
| Ka-band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn) - Ka-band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn) |
| LRA - Laser Retroreflector Array |
| POSEIDON-3C Altimeter - Positioning Ocean Solid Earth Ice Dynamics Orbiting Navigator (Single frequency solid state radar altimeter) |
| Category | Parameter | Instrument(s) |
| Atmosphere | Atmospheric Humidity Fields | AMR-S |
| Gravity and Magnetic Fields | Gravity, Magnetic and Geodynamic measurements | DGXX-S, GPSP, LRA, POSEIDON-3C Altimeter |
| Land | Landscape topography | Ka-band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn), POSEIDON-3C Altimeter |
| Inland Waters | Ka-band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn) |
| Ocean | Ocean topography/currents | AMR-S, DGXX-S, GPSP, Ka-band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn), LRA, POSEIDON-3C Altimeter |
| Ocean surface winds | POSEIDON-3C Altimeter |
| Ocean wave height and spectrum | POSEIDON-3C Altimeter |