Spaceborne radar altimetry

A next generation compact, Ku-band, pulse compression radar altimeter (RA) measures sea surface topography to a few centimeters accuracy and provides scientific data for assessing ocean circulation, mean sea-level change and other ocean features. The integrated RA is comprised of a basic altimeter, a water vapor radiometer (WVR) for correcting RA range path delay errors, and a shared antenna system. The RA operates at 13.5 GHz with pulsed 7 watt chirp bandwidth of 320 MHz. The system characteristics, integrated RA/WVR design, and support equipment are discussed. The RA was launched on the US Navy GEOSAT follow-on spacecraft.