| Instrument | Agency | Missions | Status | Type | Measurements &
applications | Technical characteristics |
Advanced SAR
Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar X band | ROSHYDROMET | Current: -
Future: Meteor-MP N1, Meteor-MP N2, Meteor-MP N3
Complete: - | No longer considered | Imaging microwave radars | High resolution microwave radar images for ice watch. |
| Waveband: | X-Band
MW, X-Band |
| Spatial resolution: | 1 m, 5 m, 50 m, 200 m, 500 m
Best resolution: 1 m |
| Swath width: | 10 km, 50 km, 130 km, 600 km, 750 km |
| Accuracy: | 1 dB |
| Data Access: | Very Constrained Access |
| Data Format: | |
|
BRLK S-range
S-band Synthetic Aperture Radar | ROSKOSMOS | Current: Kondor-FKA N1, Kondor-FKA N2
Future: -
Complete: - | Operational | Imaging microwave radars | Disaster monitoring, sea surface monitoring, information support of environmental managment |
| Waveband: | S-band
S-Band |
| Spatial resolution: | 1-12 m
Best resolution: 1 m |
| Swath width: | 10-100 km |
| Accuracy: | |
| Data Access: | Constrained Access |
| Data Format: | |
|
C-Band SAR
C-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar | ESA (COM) | Current: Sentinel-1 C, Sentinel-1 D
Future: -
Complete: Sentinel-1 A, Sentinel-1 B | Operational | Imaging microwave radars | Marine core services, land monitoring and emergency services. Monitoring sea ice zones and arctic environment. Surveillance of marine environment, monitoring land surface motion risks, mapping of land surfaces (forest, water and soil, agriculture), mapping in support of humanitarian aid in crisis situations. |
| Waveband: | C-band: 5.405 GHz; HH, VV, HH+HV, VV+VH; Incidence angle: 20-45
MW, C-Band |
| Spatial resolution: | Strip mode: 9 m, Interferometric wide swath mode: 20 m, extra-wide swath mode: 50 m, wave mode: 50 m
Best resolution: 9 m |
| Swath width: | Strip mode: 80 km; Interferometric wide swath mode: 250 km, extra-wide swath mode: 400 km, Wave mode: sampled images of 20 x 20 km at 100 km intervals |
| Accuracy: | NESZ: -22 dB; PTAR: -25 dB; DTAR: -22 dB; Radiometric accuracy 1 dB (3 sigma); Radiometric stability: 0.5 dB (3 sigma) |
| Data Access: | Open Access |
| Data Format: | |
|
COSI
Corea SAR Instrument | KARI (TAS-i) | Current: KOMPSAT-5
Future: -
Complete: - | Operational | Imaging microwave radars | SAR for land applications of cartography and disaster monitoring. |
| Waveband: | microwave
MW, X-Band |
| Spatial resolution: | High: 1 m
Best resolution: 1 m |
| Swath width: | 100 km |
| Accuracy: | |
| Data Access: | Very Constrained Access |
| Data Format: | HDF |
|
C-SAR
C-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar | CNSA (CRESDA) | Current: GF-12, GF-3
Future: -
Complete: - | Operational | Imaging microwave radars | Earth resources, environmental monitoring, land use, urban studies. |
| Waveband: | C-Band: 8 - 4 GHz
C-Band |
| Spatial resolution: | 1-500m
Best resolution: 500 m |
| Swath width: | 10-650KM |
| Accuracy: | |
| Data Access: | No Access |
| Data Format: | |
|
CSG SAR
COSMO-SkyMed di Seconda Generazione SAR | ASI (MoD (Italy)) | Current: CSG-1, CSG-2, CSG-3
Future: CSG-4
Complete: - | Operational | Imaging microwave radars | All-weather images of ocean, land and ice for monitoring of land surface processes, ice, environmental monitoring, risk management, environmental resources, maritime management, Earth topographic mapping. |
| Waveband: | Microwave: X-band (9.6 GHz) single-, dual- and quad- polarization
X-Band |
| Spatial resolution: | [range x azimuth]
Spotlight: 0.5x0.35 or 0.63x0.63 m (Single/Dual pol),
Stripmap: 3x3 m (Single/Dual/Quad pol), ScanSAR: 4x20 or 6x40 m (Single/Dual pol)
Best resolution: 0.35 m |
| Swath width: | 'Dual polarisation modes: Spotlight [range x azimuth]: 7.3x3.1 or 10x10 km, Stripmap: 40 km, ScanSAR: 100 or 200 km.
Quad polarisation mode: 15 km. |
| Accuracy: | - |
| Data Access: | Constrained Access |
| Data Format: | HDF5,
GeoTiff,
GML JPEG2000,
STANAG 4545 |
|
Imaging radar (NIMBUS-SAR)
New Italian Micro Bus Synthetic Aperture Radar | ESA (ASI) | Current: -
Future: NIMBUS-SAR
Complete: - | Being developed | Imaging microwave radars | All-weather images of ocean, land and ice for monitoring of land surface processes, ice, environmental monitoring, risk management, environmental resources, maritime management, Earth topographic mapping. Developed by TAS-I company. |
| Waveband: | Microwave: X-band (7-12.5 GHz) single-polarization (VV)
X-Band |
| Spatial resolution: | Spotlight: 0.5 m; Stripmap: 2.7m; ScanSAR: 11-17m
Best resolution: 0.5 m |
| Swath width: | Spotlight: 2.5 km; Stripmap: 27.5 km; ScanSAR: 100 km |
| Accuracy: | |
| Data Access: | |
| Data Format: | |
|
Imaging radar (NOX-SAR)
NOX Synthetic Aperture Radar | ESA (ASI) | Current: -
Future: NOX-SAR
Complete: - | Being developed | Imaging microwave radars | All-weather images of ocean, land and ice for monitoring of land surface processes, ice, environmental monitoring, risk management, environmental resources, maritime management, Earth topographic mapping. Developed by TAS-I company. |
| Waveband: | Microwave: X-band (7-12.5 GHz) single-polarization (VV)
X-Band |
| Spatial resolution: | Spotlight: 1.5 m; Stripmap: 3m; ScanSAR: 6-10m
Best resolution: 1.5 m |
| Swath width: | Spotlight: 10 km; Stripmap: 30 km; ScanSAR: 50-80 km |
| Accuracy: | |
| Data Access: | |
| Data Format: | |
|
Kasatka-R
Kasatka-R | ROSKOSMOS | Current: Obzor-R N1
Future: -
Complete: - | Approved | Imaging microwave radars | Disaster monitoring, sea surface monitoring, information support of environmental managment |
| Waveband: | X-band
X-Band |
| Spatial resolution: | 1-500 m
Best resolution: 1 m |
| Swath width: | 10-750 km |
| Accuracy: | |
| Data Access: | Constrained Access |
| Data Format: | |
|
L-band Radar (SMAP)
L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SMAP) | NASA | Current: SMAP
Future: -
Complete: - | No longer operational | Imaging microwave radars | High-resolution measurements of radar backscatter for global estimates of surface soil moisture and freeze/thaw states for climate modeling and weather prediction. The radar instrument stopped transmitting on 7 July 2015. |
| Waveband: | L-Band (1.2 GHz)
MW, L-Band |
| Spatial resolution: | <3 km spatial resolution over 70% of swath; 3 days temporal resolution. Soil moisture will be estimated at a resolution of 10 km and freeze-thaw state at a resolution of 1-3 km. |
| Swath width: | 40-deg constant incidence angle across the 1000 km swath |
| Accuracy: | <1dB Co-polarization; <1.5 dB cross-polarization at 3 km resolution |
| Data Access: | Open Access |
| Data Format: | HDF-5 |
|