SAOCOM Mission Update Laura Frulla CONAE 1

Mission Update Mission Critical Design Review (M-CDR) in Nov. 2013 Passed OK Flight Segment Qualification Review Step 1: July 2015 SAR Instrument Qualification Review: July 2015 Flight Segment Qualification Review Step 2: July 2016 Ground Segment Qualification Review: July 2016 Launch Readiness Review PFM: November 2016 Launch schedule: SAOCOM 1A: November 2016 SAOCOM 1B: October 2017 2

SAOCOM General Features(1/2) instruments Polarimetric L band SAR (1,275 GHz) (SAOCOM 1A/SAOCOM 1B) orbit sun synchronous nearly circular frozen polar inclination 97.89° altitude 620 km local time of asc. node 06:12 am time for one orbit 97.2 minutes revisit 16 days (1 satellite)/8 days (constellation) mission lifetime 5 years commissioning 6-9 months 3

SAOCOM General Features(2/2) looking direction right (nominal)/left (capability) right looking continuous acquisitions of 10 minutes when the satellite is in visibility of ETC 15 minutes per orbit as an average on a daily basis 20 minutes of non continuous acquisitions in an orbit left looking up to 5 minutes, according to resources and preserving spacecraft safety, returning afterwards to the nominal side looking acquisition modes real time/stored coverage world wide 4

observation capability day/night/all weather σ° (measurement range) SAR Features observation capability day/night/all weather σ° (measurement range) -35 to 5 dB absolute radiometric accuracy less than or equal to 0.5 dB (QP) less than or equal to 1.0 dB (SP, DP) polarimetric accuracy less than or equal to 0.3 dB geolocation accuracy depends on precise orbit determination on line (56 h) 90 m on line (108 h) 70 m off line (18 days) 25 m 5

SAR Antenna Panel EM stage 2 SAR Instrument EM SAR Antenna Panel EM stage 2 SAR CE EM1 – Dummy load SAR CE EM1

Antenna Deployment

SAOCOM 1B Launch/Orbital Formation CM CS SR SARE Constellation-x4 (CONAE) ~ 2 years IR Inter-satellite link GPS Differential Unit Star tracker/laser units (constelation position) Software Defined Radio (ground data collection) TR module (Faraday rotation estimation) ESA SAOCOM Companion (receive only) ~ 5 years

SAOCOM-CS/TANGO Science and Observation Geometry: Formation flying Tomographic phase (880 days) AT baseline < 6km XT baseline varies ~1–6 km Science mission driver Duration ~2.5 years SAOCOM CS (ESA) SAOCOM (CONAE) Illuminated scene “Bird-eye view” Bistatic 1, Bistatic 2 (720 days) AT baseline < 250 km Small XT baseline (phase 1) Large XT baseline (phase 2) Duration ~2 years Specular phase (160 days) Experimental Short duration lifetime~ 5 years

SAOCOM Nominal Modes Features acquisition mode polarization swath width spatial resolution minimum incidence angle range StripMap SP: HH or HV or VH or VV > 40 km < 10 m 21 - 50 DP: HH/HV or VV/VH QP: HH/HV/VH/VV > 20 km 20 - 35 TOPSAR Narrow > 150 km < 30 m 25 - 45 > 100 km < 50 m TOPSAR Wide > 350 km QP(1): HH/HV/VH/VV > 220 km < 100 m CL-POL: RH/RV or LH/LV (1) TOPSAR Wide QP assigned for Strategic Applications 10

StripMap and TOPSAR modes 9 possible polarization combinations L1 Product Definition 25 swaths StripMap and TOPSAR modes 9 possible polarization combinations SP: HH or HV or VH or VV DP: HH-HV or VH-VV QP: HH-HV-VH-VV CP*: LH-LV or RH-RV *Technological mode

Product Tree Ref: SAO-MIS-HB-00001-A

TOPSAR Quad pol modes StripMap 10 quad-pol beams in elevation allow maximum coverage of 220 KM 3 different spatial resolutions [m] 100 (az) x 10 (rg) WIDE 50 (az) x 10 (rg) NARROW 6 (az) x 10 (rg) STRIPMAP TOPSAR Wide 220 km The TOPSAR mode is exploited : LOW scalloping Wide coverage High resolution Scanning timeline optimization possibility TOPSAR Narrow A 110 km StripMap TOPSAR Narrow B 110 km S1 QP S2 QP 35° ScanSAR TOPSAR S10 QP TOPSAR mode chosen to maximize coverage versus geometric & radiometric resolution

Products Processing Levels RAW data products (data stream), Level 0 products (Annotated RAW data-AR) Level 1 products Level 1A: Single Look Complex-SLC, Level 1B: Detected Image-DI, Level 1C: Ground Ellipsoid Corrected-GEC (default), Level 1D: Geocoded Terrain Corrected-GTC. Higher level products In relation to the products processing levels for SAOCOM, they will be the same that you surely well know, let say: - RAW data, - Level 0, composed by the Annotated RAW data, Level 1, with the common different levels of corrections: 1A for Single Look Complex, 1B for Detected Image, 1C for Ground Ellipsoid Corrected image which is the default processing for the Strategic Applications, 1D for Geocoded Terrain Corrected images and Higher level products 1) Level 0 – Annotated Raw Data (AR) This product is obtained from the binary data stream: Raw Data (RAW) and it consists of time ordered echo data, synchronized, with format, obtained after decryption, packed, including all the auxiliary and secondary data, identified in date and time by UTC coordinates (Coordinated Universal Time). This product is required to produce the other basic and intermediate products, and also to get information about navigation, TT&C, etc. 2) Level 1A – Single Look Complex (SLC) Level 1A Products are generated from Level 0 Products by applying SAR focusing processing, and include both internal calibration (I/Q channels bias and I/Q channel gain unbalance), and external calibration (correction of antenna pattern in azimuth and elevation and spreading loss compensation). Level 1A Products are phase preserving and are projected in slant range (no geometric corrections are performed). They are provided with the auxiliary data mentioned in the Level 0 Product definition. Level 1A Products are not amplitude images, as they’re composed by real and imaginary components (complex data type), 3) Level 1B – Detected Image (DI) Level 1B Products are generated from Level 0 Products by applying SAR focusing processing. They are amplitude images ground projected onto a given reference ellipsoid. The generated amplitude images are geo-referenced (i.e. each pixel of an image is associated with coordinates given in a geographic reference system, e.g.: WGS 84). 4) Level 1C – Ground Ellipsoid Corrected (GEC) processing. The generated amplitude images are geo-coded, that is, the image is rectified according to a particular map projection, i.e. Gauss Krügerr. In this way, the image grid is aligned with the chosen map projection grid. There is no correction applied for terrain distortion and there is no use of Ground Control Points (GCP). 5) Level 1D Products are generated from Level 1C. using GCPs and Digital Elevation Models. This products are geocoded amplitude images, that is, the images are rectified according to a particular map projection. In this way, the image grid is aligned with the chosen map projection grid; the residual error of the correction depends on the accuracy of the GCPs and on the DEMs. In this case, the image distortion effects due to topography are reduced. 14

SAOCOM Science Team and Applications Component SAS SIS SOS PI L. Frulla Deputies G.R. Ortega- J. Milovich Announcements of Opportunity Projects PIs of the different projects Science Team M. Thibeault External Calibration M. Thibeault/Deputy: T. Zajc Soil Moisture D. Dadamia Support System for Decision Making in Agriculture H. Lozza Risk Hydrological Emergency Management M. Uriburu Field Campaign A. Soldano Wheat Head Blight Disease Forecast System M. Acuña SAS Interferometry M. Azcueta Deputy: N. Grunfeld SIS Science Processors A. Lorenzo As for the SAOCOM Applications Component it is composed by the applications developed in the frame of the projects presented in the SAOCOM announcements of opportinuty and the Strategic Applications. SECFD: SAR Engineering Calibration Facilities, Development Sector @ Buenos Aires Oil Spill and Object Detection M. Jáuregui/Deputy: M. Camuyrano SOS DEM A. Soldano/Deputy: N. Grunfeld Snow Cover Estimations N. Grunfeld Biomass and Forest Carbon Capture A. Lorenzo 15

SAR CALVAL – Sites Status Institutional agreements (2 of 3 main sites defined) Main Sites El Sosneado (Malargue): Agreed for CR and PARC and partially installed CASLEO (San Juan): Agreed for CR, PARC agreement ongoing El Alambrado (Malargue): under study, first contacts made Support Sites DS3 (Malargue): back up option, first contacts made CETT (Cordoba): commissioning site and PARC testing site, partially installed Tierra del Fuego (Tolhuin)