WITTEX: an innovative three-satellite radar altimeter concept

The Water Inclination Topography and Technology Experiment (WITTEX) consists of three TOPEX-class radar altimeters on individual satellites in the same orbit plane. If built with delay-Doppler radar altimeter technology, the WITTEX satellites will be sufficiently small that all three can be launched simultaneously by one vehicle. Even though the WITTEX satellites will be in a common inertial orbit plane, Earth rotation separates their tracks at nadir. Cross-track separation will be proportional to intersatellite spacing. WITTEX will provide near-simultaneous and accurate measurement of sea surface heights along three parallel tracks, providing oceanographic data not previously available, including the two-dimensional (2-D) surface gradient. WITTEX offers a variety of beneficial solutions to the classic time/space sampling tradeoff that confronts oceanic radar altimetry.