'It's probably correct to say it's the world's most sophisticated civilian satellite

Scientists await results from new eye in the sky

By CHRIS WINDEYER

A satellite launched in December has scientists and military planners alike eagerly anticipating an easier way to keep tabs on the vast Arctic landmass.

RADARSAT-2 was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Dec. 14. The Canadian Space Agency spent $445 million on the project.

Stuart Salter, an engineer based in Ottawa with the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, is one of the scientists awaiting a chance to examine data from the satellite when it starts arriving in about six months.

"It's unbelievably exciting, I have to say," Salter enthused during a telephone interview.

"It's a vast improvement over RADARSAT-1. In fact, it's probably correct to say it's the world's most sophisticated civilian satellite."

The 15-metre-long, 2,200-kilogram satellite boasts the ability to take higher-resolution images than the first RADARSAT and to store more of them in its onboard hard drive. The satellite circles the Earth 14 times a day, making a daily pass over latitudes above 70 degrees North.

And its images are so precise, it can distinguish between objects as little as three metres apart – from nearly 800 kilometres up in the atmosphere, Salter said. Or, RADARSAT-2 can also survey 500-kilometre wide swaths of the Earth.

For scientists studying the Arctic, that means it will be easier to track changes in ice and permafrost. And because it uses radar, which bounces a signal off the earth and makes an image based on the time the signal takes to return, the satellite can record images in any kind of weather, at any time of day.

"You can use it year round, day or night, and that's why I think it's so important for the Arctic," Salter said.

The Canadian Forces also plan to use data from RADARSAT-2 for the long-awaited Polar Epsilon project, which the forces will use to monitor Canada's vast Arctic region. Images can be used to track ships, sea ice and oil slicks, or examine airplane crash sites.

"Polar Epsilon will support Canadian Forces sovereignty patrols and operations, and strengthen Canada's presence in the North," said Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, in a news release. "Improved surveillance capabilities will allow a more efficient and timely Canadian Forces response to domestic and foreign crises and search and rescue operations."

The threat of unregistered cargo ships and oil tankers plying the Northwest Passage in a bid to shave thousands of costly kilometres off a trip between Europe and Asia has been a prime concern of the military.

Operation Nanook, which took place in the Hudson Strait last August focused on ways the Navy, Coast Guard and Canadian Rangers could work together to stop such ships at sea.

A DND backgrounder on Polar Epsilon points out the system won't be able to detect ballistic missiles, or small objects like people.

It will take three months to get the satellite set up, and another three months to calibrate the resulting images, taking into account atmospheric interference. Salter said scientists could be looking a new, high-resolution images of the Earth by June.

Share This Story

(0) Comments