Cubesat Constellation Concepts for Swath Altimetry

Altimeter satellites tend to be large, complex and expensive, with programs often taking ten years or more to go from pre-phase-A study through to launch. With the advent of lightweight, compact and modest power requirements and consumption, together with deployable antenna technologies, it becomes possible to consider cubesat radars for altimetric purposes. Moreover, multiple cubesat altimeters flying in formation could open the door to novel constellation configurations to enable swath altimetry at a modest cost.