SeaWinds on QuikSCAT: sensor description and mission overview

The SeaWinds instrument is the first "pencilbeam" scatterometer to routinely measure ocean surface winds from space. Developed to fly on-board the Japanese ADEOS-II mission, the first flight of SeaWinds was moved up several years when the ADEOS-I satellite carrying the NASA Scatterometer (NSCAT) failed. Utilizing only a one year development time, a dedicated small spacecraft was purchased and the SeaWinds spare hardware was adapted for flight. The SeaWinds on QuikSCAT mission was successfully launched on June 19, 1999. The QuikSCAT mission, the SeaWinds instrument, and the SeaWinds ground data processing are briefly described.