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Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity

SMOS
SMOS.jpg
Artist's view of SMOS
Mission type Earth observation
Operator ESA
COSPAR ID 2009-059A
SATCAT no. 36036
Website www.esa.int/esaLP/LPsmos.html
Mission duration Planned: 3 years
Elapsed: 7 years, 4 months, 7 days
Spacecraft properties
Bus Proteus
Manufacturer Thales Alenia Space
CNES
Launch mass 658 kilograms (1,451 lb)
Dry mass 630 kilograms (1,390 lb)
Dimensions 2.4 by 2.3 metres (7.9 ft × 7.5 ft) (diameter)
Power up to 1065 watts
Start of mission
Launch date 2 November 2009, 14:21:00 (2009-11-02UTC14:21Z) UTC
Rocket Rokot/Briz-KM
Launch site Plesetsk 133/3
Contractor Eurockot
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime Sun-synchronous
Perigee 765 kilometres (475 mi)
Apogee 766 kilometres (476 mi)
Inclination 98.44 degrees
Period 100.02 minutes
Repeat interval 23 days
Epoch 25 January 2015, 00:45:13 UTC
Transponders
Band S Band (TT&C support)
X Band (science data acquisition)
Bandwidth up to 722kbit/s download (S Band)
up to 18.4Mbit/s download (X Band)
up to 4kbit /s upload (S Band)
Instruments
MIRAS: Microwave Imaging Radiometer using Aperture Synthesis

SMOS logo.jpg

← GOCE
CryoSat-2 →

SMOS logo.jpg

Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity, or SMOS, is a satellite which forms part of ESA's Living Planet Programme. It is intended to provide new insights into Earth's water cycle and climate. In addition, it is intended to provide improved weather forecasting and monitoring of snow and ice accumulation.

The project was proposed in November 1998; in 2004 the project passed ESA-phase "C/D" and, after several delays, it was launched on 2 November 2009 from Plesetsk Cosmodrome on a Rockot rocket. The first data from the MIRAS (Microwave Imaging Radiometer using Aperture Synthesis) instrument was received on 20 November 2009. The SMOS programme cost is about €315 million ($465 million; £280 million). It is led by ESA but with significant input from French and Spanish interests.

The satellite is part of ESA's Earth Explorer programme – eight spacecraft that will do innovative science in obtaining data on issues of pressing environmental concern. The first is already in orbit – a mission called GOCE, which is mapping variations in the pull of gravity across the Earth's surface. SMOS is the second Explorer to launch; and a third spacecraft, known as CryoSat-2 (the first CryoSat failed on launch), was launched on 8 April 2010. CryoSat will assess the state of the world's ice cover.


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