The ENVISAT advanced synthetic aperture radar system

The European Space Agency has selected an advanced synthetic aperture radar operating at C-band (5.331 GHz) as a payload for the forthcoming ENVISAT mission. The sensor ensures continuity of ERS SAR and features enhanced capability in terms of coverage, range of incidence angles, polarisations and modes of operation. This paper presents the key features of the ENVISAT ASAR system. The ASAR instrument modes of operation are discussed. The ASAR Ground Processor is presented highlighting the concepts for its development and the performance achieved versus the ESA specifications. The selection of processing algorithm for each product is discussed based on the image quality requirements and the throughput.