Ers 1 2 Satellites

European remote sensing satellite ers was the european space agency s first earth observing satellite programme using a polar orbit.

Ers 1 2 satellites.

Ers 2 added an additional sensor for atmospheric ozone monitoring. It consisted of 2 satellites ers 1 and ers 2. The proba 1 proba 2 and smos spacecraft of european space agency are observing the earth from an altitude of about 700 km. Esa s two european remote sensing ers satellites ers 1 and 2 were launched into the same orbit in 1991 and 1995 respectively.

Their payloads included a synthetic aperture imaging radar radar. It is also carrying a new payload instrument to measure the chemical composition of the atmosphere named gome global ozone monitoring experiment. The earth observation satellites ers 1 ers 2 and envisat of european space agency as well as the metop spacecraft of eumetsat are all operated at altitudes of about 800 km. The ers 2 satellite circles the earth at a height of 800 km and completes an orbit every 100 minutes crossing each pole in the process.

Their payloads included a synthetic aperture imaging radar radar altimeter and instruments to measure ocean surface temperature and wind fields. It was in 1989 when esa decided to continue the ers program beyond the lifetime of ers 1. Esa s two european remote sensing ers satellites ers 1 and 2 were launched into the same orbit in 1991 and 1995 respectively. Ers 2 was launched on april 21 1995 as the follow on from ers 1 with which it was used in tandem from august 1995 to june 1996 their identical orbits 35 days having a one day shift.

Ers 2 satellite and applications the european remote sensing satellite ers 1 launched in 1991 carried a comprehensive payload including an imaging synthetic aperture radar a radar altimeter and other powerful instruments to measure ocean surface temperature and winds at sea. Because of this delay and the earth s rotation the ground track patterns of ers 2 are shifted westwards with respect to those of ers 1. Nasa s provision of the european space agency s esa european remote sensing satellites ers 1 and ers 2 synthetic aperture radar sar data archive via the asf daac is now free and open by agreement between nasa and esa. Ers 2 is the follow up esa mission of ers 1.

The ers 2 satellite is essentially a copy of ers 1 except that it includes a number of enhancements.