CEOS EO HANDBOOK – MISSION SUMMARY - CryoSat-2 -
Full Name CryoSat-2 Status Operational (extended)
Mission Agencies ESA Launch Date 08 Apr 2010
Mission Links mission site | data access portal EOL Date Dec 2025
EO Portal Info NORAD Catalog # 36508 (TLE)
International Designator 2010-013A
Orbit Type Inclined, non-sun-synchronous Orbit Period 100 minutes
Orbit Sense N/A Orbit Inclination 92 deg
Orbit Altitude 717 km Orbit Longitude
Orbit LST Repeat Cycle 369 days
Objectives and Applications Cryosat-2 is Europe's first ice mission aimed to determine variations in the thickness of the Earth's continental ice sheets and marine ice cover. The repeat cycle is 369 days (NB no repetitivity after the change of orbit in Jul 2020). LST is 0.25 degree nodal regression per day (it drifts through all local times)
Mission Measurements
CategoryParameterInstrument(s)
Gravity and Magnetic FieldsGravity, Magnetic and Geodynamic measurements Laser Reflectors (ESA)
LandLandscape topography SIRAL
Snow & IceIce sheet topography SIRAL
Sea ice cover, edge and thickness SIRAL
Mission Instruments
DGXX - Doppler Orbitography and Radio-positioning Integrated by Satellite-New Generation XX
Laser Reflectors (ESA) - Laser Reflectors
SIRAL - SAR Interferometer Radar Altimeter
OpenSearch Datasets Selected IDN OpenSearch Results (search all 31 )
CDDIS DORIS products positions
CDDIS DORIS products stcd
CDDIS_DORIS_data_cycle
CDDIS_DORIS_data_rinex
CDDIS_SLR_predictions
CryoSat products
CryoSat-2 Level-1B Waveforms, Sea Ice Elevation, and Surface Roughness V001
CryoSat-2 Level-4 Sea Ice Elevation, Freeboard, and Thickness V001
CryoSat-2 Sea Ice Freeboard, Thickness, and Snow Depth Quick Look, Version 1
ESA Greenland Ice Sheet Climate Change Initiative (Greenland_Ice_Sheet_cci): Greenland Surface Eleva ...

Selected FedEO OpenSearch Results (view all 31 results: browser , table )
CryoSat products
ESA Sea Level Climate Change Initiative (Sea_Level_cci): Time series of gridded Sea Level Anomalies ...
ESA Sea Ice Climate Change Initiative (Sea_Ice_cci): Southern hemisphere sea ice thickness from the...
ESA Sea Ice Climate Change Initiative (Sea_Ice_cci): Southern hemisphere sea ice thickness from Cry...
ESA Sea Level Climate Change Initiative (Sea_Level_cci): Fundamental Climate Data Records of sea lev...
ESA Sea Ice Climate Change Initiative (Sea_Ice_cci): Northern hemisphere sea ice thickness from Cry...
CLIMATE APPLICATIONS: Model initialisation and evaluation, global warming. Reference: Allard et al....
CLIMATE APPLICATIONS: Ice contributions to sea level rise
CryoSat-2 monthly Antarctic sea ice thickness. CLIMATE APPLICATIONS: Model initialisation and evalua...
CLIMATE APPLICATIONS: Ananlyses of the Global mean sea level change, ocean circulation, sea level ri...

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