 Artist's view of SMOS | |
| Mission type | Earth observation |
|---|---|
| Operator | ESA |
| COSPAR ID | 2009-059A |
| SATCATno. | 36036 |
| Website | www |
| Mission duration | Planned: 3 years Elapsed: 16 years, 21 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | Proteus |
| Manufacturer | Thales Alenia Space CNES |
| Launch mass | 658 kilograms (1,451 lb) |
| Dry mass | 630 kilograms (1,390 lb) |
| Dimensions | 2.4 by 2.3 metres (7.9 ft × 7.5 ft) (diameter) |
| Power | up to 1065 watts |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 2 November 2009, 14:21:00 (2009-11-02UTC14:21Z) UTC[1] |
| Rocket | Rokot/Briz-KM |
| Launch site | Plesetsk133/3 |
| Contractor | Eurockot |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Sun-synchronous |
| Perigee altitude | 765 kilometres (475 mi)[2] |
| Apogee altitude | 766 kilometres (476 mi)[2] |
| Inclination | 98.44 degrees[2] |
| Period | 100.02 minutes[2] |
| Repeat interval | 23 days |
| Epoch | 25 January 2015, 00:45:13 UTC[2] |
| Transponders | |
| Band | S Band (TT&C support) X Band (science data acquisition) |
| Bandwidth | up to 722 kbit/s download (S Band) up to 18.4 Mbit/s download (X Band) up to 4 kbit /s upload (S Band) |
| Instruments | |
| MIRAS: Microwave Imaging Radiometer using Aperture Synthesis | |
 | |
Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) is asatellite which forms part ofESA'sLiving Planet Programme. It is intended to provide new insights into Earth'swater cycle andclimate. In addition, it is intended to provide improvedweather forecasting and monitoring of snow and ice accumulation.[3][4][5][6]
The project was proposed in November 1998; in 2004 the project passed ESA-phase "C/D" and,[7] after several delays, it was launched on 2 November 2009 fromPlesetsk Cosmodrome on aRockot rocket.[8] The first data from theMIRAS (Microwave ImagingRadiometer usingAperture Synthesis) instrument was received on 20 November 2009.[9] The SMOS programme cost is about €315 million ($465 million; £280 million). It is led by ESA but with significant input from French and Spanish interests.[8]
The satellite is part of ESA's Earth Explorer programme – satellite missions that are performing innovative science in obtaining data on issues of pressingenvironmental concern. The first is already complete – a mission calledGOCE, which mapped variations in the pull ofgravity across the Earth's surface. SMOS was the second Explorer to launch; and was followed byCryoSat-2 (the firstCryoSat failed on launch),Swarm (spacecraft), andADM-Aeolus.
The satellite was launched on 2 November 2009 (04:50 (01:50 GMT)) to a nearly circular orbit of 763 km aboard aRokot, a modifiedRussianIntercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM)SS-19 launched from a decommissioned SS-19 launcher from Northern Russia'sPlesetsk Cosmodrome.[4][10] The SMOS satellite was launched together with theProba-2, a technology demonstration satellite.[11][12]
The goal of the SMOS mission is to monitor surfacesoil moisture with an accuracy of 4% (at 35–50 kmspatial resolution).[7] This aspect is managed by the HYDROS project. Project Aquarius will attempt to monitor sea surfacesalinity with an accuracy of 0.1psu (10- to 30-day average and a spatial resolution of 200 km x 200 km).[7][13]
Soil moisture is an important aspect of climate, and thereforeforecasting. Plants transpire water from depths lower than 1 meter in many places and satellites like SMOS can only provide moisture content down to a few centimeters, but using repeated measurements in a day, the satellite can extrapolate soil moisture.[4][5] The SMOS team of ESA hope to work with farmers around the world, including theUnited States Department of Agriculture to use as ground-based calibration for models determining soil moisture, as it may help to better understandcrop yields over wide regions.[14]
Oceansalinity is crucial to the understanding of the role of the ocean in climate through the globalwater cycle.[15] Salinity in combination with temperature determine ocean circulation by defining its density and hencethermohaline circulation.[16] Additionally, ocean salinity is one of the variables that regulate CO2 uptake and release and therefore has an effect on the oceaniccarbon cycle.[17]
Information from SMOS is expected to help improve short and medium-term weather forecasts, and also have practical applications in areas such as agriculture and water resource management. In addition, climate models should benefit from having a more precise picture of the scale and speed of movement of water in the different components of the hydrological cycle.[8]
SMOS has been used to improvehurricane forecasting by collecting hurricane surface-level wind speed data using its novel microwave imaging radiometer, which can penetrate the thick clouds surrounding a cyclone. Hurricanes that have been studied by SMOS includeHurricane Florence,Typhoon Mangkhut, andTyphoon Jebi.[18]
The SMOS satellite carries a new type of instrument calledMicrowave Imaging Radiometer with Aperture Synthesis (MIRAS). Some eight metres across, it has the look of helicopter rotor blades; the instrument creates images of radiation emitted in themicrowaveL-band (1.4 GHz). MIRAS will measure changes in the wetness of the land and in the salinity of seawater by observing variations in the natural microwave emission coming up off the surface of the planet.[6][8][13]
TheCNES Satellite OperationsGround Segment operates the spacecraft with telecommunications from ESA'sS-band facility located inKiruna,Sweden. The Data Processing Ground Segment is located inESAC,Villafranca del Castillo, Spain. Higher level processing of information is done by scientists globally.[4]
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