Abstract
On 22 December 2020, HISEA-1, the first C-band SAR small satellite for ocean remote sensing, was launched from the coastal Wenchang launch site. Though small in weight, the images it produced have a high spatial resolution of 1 m and a large observation width of 100 km. The first batch of images obtained within the first week after the launch confirmed the rich information in the data, including sea ice, wind, wave, rip currents, vortexes, ships, and oil film on the sea, as well as landmark buildings. Furthermore, geometric characteristics of sea ice, wind vector, ocean wave parameter, 3D features of buildings, and some air-sea interface phenomena in dark spots could also be detected after relevant processing. All these indicate that HISEA-1 could be a reliable, remarkable, and powerful instrument for observing oceans and lands.
Highlights
Konstantinos TopouzelisAs small satellites and constellations develop rapidly, the new era of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites evolves
The technology of pulse compression and synthetic aperture significantly improve the resolution of SAR images
The C-band has been used comprehensively in ocean remote sensing, due to its phase that is convenient for ocean observations
Summary
As small satellites and constellations develop rapidly, the new era of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites evolves. The C-band has been used comprehensively in ocean remote sensing, due to its phase that is convenient for ocean observations. The first C-band SAR ocean remote-sensing small satellite, named HISEA-1, was launched by the new Long March 8 medium-lift rocket from the coastal Wenchang launch site on 22 December 2020. With a weight of only 185 kg, it can provide high-quality SAR remote-sensed images whose finest spatial resolution and maximum observation width reach 1 m and 100 km, respectively. Zero (NEσ0 ) is less than −22 dB and the absolute radiometric accuracy is 2.0 dB (3σ); all above satisfy the design requirements At this moment, the HISEA-1 satellite is still in the commissioning phase and the image processing plugin is developing.
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