Remote Sensing Satellite Information Sheets Geophysical Institute University of Alaska Fairbanks

Remote Sensing Satellite Information Sheets Geophysical Institute University of Alaska Fairbanks ASTER Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer AVHRR Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer ERS 1 + 2 Earth Resources Satellite GMS Geosynchronous Meteorological Satellite GOES Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite IKONOS JERS-1 Japanese Earth Resouces Satellite Landsat MODIS Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer Radarsat-1

ASTER info Acronym: Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer Country: USA and Japan Year Deployed: 1999 Temporal Resolution: On demand Data Availability: Request data from ASTER team or through ordering from EOS Data Gateway (http://edcim swww.cr.usgs.gov/pub/imswelcome/) Brief Description: ASTER is an imaging instrument that is flying on Terra, a satellite launched in December 1999 as part of NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS). ASTER will be used to obtain detailed maps of land surface temperature, emissivity, reflectance and elevation. The EOS platforms are part of NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, whose goal is to obtain a better understanding of the interactions between the biosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and atmosphere. ASTER is the only high spatial resolution instrument on the Terra platform. It will be used with MODIS, MOPITT, MISR and CERES which monitor the Earth at moderate to coarse spatial resolutions. ASTER's ability to serve as a 'zoom' lens for the other instruments will be particularly important for change detection, calibration/validation and land surface studies. The ASTER instrument was built in Japan for the Ministry of International Trade and Industry. A Joint US/Japan Science Team is responsible for instrument design, calibration, and validation. (from ASTER website) Official Webpage: ASTER homepage: http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/; Other Useful Webpages: Terra sensors: http://128.102.124.15/sge/health/sensor/ sensors/eosam1.html;

Sensor Information: Swath Width: 60 km Band Values: See chart below. IR range Band # Wavelength Spatial Resolution VNIR 1 0.52-0.60 m 15 m 2 0.63-0.69 m 15 m 3 0.76-0.86 m 15 m SWIR 4 1.600-1.700 m 30 m 5 2.145-2.185 m 30 m 6 2.185-2.225 m 30 m 7 2.235-2.285 m 30 m 8 2.295-2.365 m 30 m 9 2.360-2.430 m 30 m TIR 10 8.125-8.475 m 90 m 11 8.475-8.825 m 90 m 12 8.925-9.275 m 90 m 13 10.25-10.95 m 90 m 14 10.95-11.65 m 90 m

AVHRR info Acronym: Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer Country: USA (NOAA) Year Deployed: NOAA-12: May 14, 1991; NOAA-14: Dec. 30, 1994; NOAA-15: May 13, 1998. Temporal Resolution: Multiple times daily. Data Availability: Through receiving station or ordering from EOS Data Gateway (http://edcim swww.cr.usgs.gov/pub/imswelcome/) Brief Description: The AVHRR satellite system is currently composed of three satellites: NOAA- 12, 14 and 15, on Advanced TIROS-N spacecrafts. The sensor was designed for weather monitoring by NOAA, but the thermal channels enable numerous other applications in the geosciences. Official Webpage: NOAA AVHRR user's guide: http://www2.ncdc.noaa.gov:80/docs/intro.htm Other Useful Webpages: TIROS satellite listing: http://www.rocketry.com/mwade/project/tiros.htm; Univ. of Illinois remote sensing: http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(gh)/guides/rs/sat/poes/home.rxml; Understanding AVHRR images: http://fermi.jhuapl.edu/states/avhrr/about_avhrr.html; Univ. Texas AVHRR info: http://www.ae.utexas.edu/courses/ase389/sensors/avhrr/avhrr.html;

Sensor Information: Orbital Altitude: 833 km (morning orbit) and 870 km (afternoon orbit) Orbital Type: Sun synchronous Swath Width: 3000 km Band Values: See chart below. Band Wavelength EM region Spatial resolution 1 0.58-0.68 m Visible 1.1 km 2 0.725-1.1 m Near IR 1.1 km 3 3.55-3.93 m Mid IR 1.1 km 4 10.3-11.3 m TIR 1.1 km 5 11.4-12. 4 m TIR 1.1 km

ERS 1+2 info Acronym: Earth Resources Satellite Country: European Space Agency Year Deployed: ERS-1: July 17, 1991; ERS-2: April 21, 1995. Temporal Resolution: Depends on phase, see chart below. Data Availability: Order from ESA distributors. Brief Description: ERS-1 launched as the first European remote sensing satellite. Its payload consisted of an active microwave instrument (SAR and scatterometer), a laser altimeter, and an along-track scanning radiometer (ATSR). ERS-1 has changing acquisition phases, with different repeat cycles (see chart below). ERS-2 launched 4 years later, with the same instruments as ERS-1 as well as the GOME (Global Ozone Mapping Experiment) instrument, and a fixed repeat cycle of 35 days. Currently, both satellites are operating and follow the same orbital plane. Official Webpage: European Space Agency: http://www.esrin.esa.it/; Other Useful Webpages: Technical info: http://sirius-ci.cst.cnes.fr:8100/cdrom- 98/ceos1/satellit/ers/ers/earonc00.htm; NASA page: http://kaon.gsfc.nasa.gov/satellite/ers1.htm; http://kaon.gsfc.nasa.gov/satellite/ers2.htm; DEOS info page: http://www.deos.tudelft.nl/;

Sensor Information: Orbital Altitude: 782-785 km Orbital Type: Sun-synchronous polar, near circular Swath Width: 100 km Band Values: C-band, 5.6 cm, Look Angle: 23 degrees Polarization: VV ERS-1 Phases: Phase Cycle (days) From To Orbits/ cycle A 3 7/25/91 10/10/91 24 B 3 12/28/91 3/30/92 24 C 35 4/14/92 12/21/93 501 D 3 12/23/93 4/14/94 24 E 168 4/14/94 9/28/94 2411 F 168 9/28/94 3/18/95 2411

GMS info Acronym: Geosynchronous Meteorological Satellite Country: Japan (designed by USA) Year Deployed: GMS-5: March 18, 1995 Temporal Resolution: Hourly Data Availability: Through receiving station or download from NASA site: http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/goesg/earth/weather/weather.html; Brief Description: GMS (Geosynchronous Meteorological Satellite) is a Japanese geostationary satellite operated by the Japanese Meteorological Agency. The satellite altitude is about 35800 km. The point on the earth's surface which lies directly beneath the satellite is on the equator 140 east. GMS always views the same portion of the globe (42% of the earth's surface). GMS is equipped with a VISSR (Visible and Infrared Spin Scan Radiometer). The radiometer scans the earth's surface line by line; each line consists of a series of individual image elements or pixels. For each pixel the radiometer measures the radiative energy of the different spectral bands. This measurement is digitally coded and transmitted to the ground station for pre-processing before being disseminated to the user community. (from www.chez.com) GMS coverage:

Official Webpage: Japanese Meteorological Agency: http://www.kishou.go.jp/english/index.html; Other Useful Webpages: Federation of American Scientists: http://www.fas.org/spp/guide/japan/earth/gms.htm; Ian's GMS website (with updated images): http://www.ibatc.demon.co.uk/page4.htm; NASA site (interactive): http://wwwghcc.msfc.nasa.gov/goes/gms5ir.html; (gms view) General info: http://www.chez.com/satellites/en/gms.html; (image from here) Hughes space: http://www.hughespace.com/factsheets/376/gms/gms.html; Sensor Information: Orbital altitude: 35,800 km (22,300 miles) Orbital Type: Geostationary Swath Width: NA Band Values: Imager is the Visible and Infrared Spin Scan Radiometer (VISSR). See chart below. Band Wavelength EM region Spatial resolution 1 0.55-0.9 m Visible 1.25 km 2 6.5-7 m TIR 5 km 3 10.5-11.5 m TIR 5 km 4 11.5-12.5 m TIR 5 km

GOES info Acronym: Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites Country: USA (NOAA and NASA) Year Deployed: GOES-8: April 13, 1994; GOES-10: April 25, 1997. Temporal Resolution: Every 15 minutes. Data Availability: Through receiving station or ordering from EOS Data Gateway (http://edcim swww.cr.usgs.gov/pub/imswelcome/) Brief Description: The GOES satellite system is currently composed of two satellites: GOES-8 and GOES-10. GOES-8 (east) is situated over 75 west longitude and covers the Americas, while GOES-10 is over 135 west longitude and covers most of the Pacific. With their high orbital altitude, the satellites can image their entire side of the Earth in one snapshot. Official Webpage: NOAA satellite page: Other Useful Webpages: http://www.noaa.gov/satellites.html; Univ. Illinois remote sensing: http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(gh)/guides/rs/sat/goes/home.rxml;

Sensor Information: Orbital altitude: 35,800 km (22,300 miles) Orbital Type: Geostationary Swath Width: NA Band Values: See chart below. Band Wavelength EM region Spatial resolution 1 0.52-0.72 m Visible 1 km 2 3.78-4.03 m Mid IR 4 km 3 6.47-7.02 m TIR 4 km 4 10.2-11.2 m TIR 4 km 5 11.5-12. 5 m TIR 4 km

IKONOS info Acronym: None Country: USA (commercial: Space Imaging, Inc.) Year Deployed: Sept. 24, 1999 Temporal Resolution: On Demand Data Availability: Order through Space Imaging (www.spaceimaging.com) Brief Description: IKONOS is the first commercial imaging satellite of its kind. It simultaneously collects one-meter resolution black-and-white (panchromatic) images and four-meter resolution color (multispectral) images. Designed to take digital images of the Earth from 400 miles (680 kilometers) up and moving at a speed of about four-and-a-half miles (seven kilometers) per second, the satellite camera can distinguish objects on the Earth's surface as small as one meter square, or about three feet, in size. Although more capable than any other commercial system, the camera cannot see individual people. The imagery products collected by IKONOS will be sold and marketed by Space Imaging under the company's CARTERRA brand name. CARTERRA products will benefit a range of markets including agriculture, mapping, state and local governments, oil and gas, utilities, emergency response, natural resources, telecommunications, tourism, national security, insurance, news gathering and others. (from Space Imaging website) Official Webpage: Space Imaging, Inc.: http://www.spaceimaging.com; Other Useful Webpages: Terrasystems page: http://www.terrasys.com/pages/ikonos.htm;

Sensor Information: Orbital altitude: 681 km (423 miles) Orbital Type: Sun synchronous Swath Width: 11 km at nadir Band Values: Has a high-resolution panchromatic band, as well as lower resolution multispectral bands. See chart below. Band Wavelength EM region Spatial resolution panchrom. 0.45-0.9 m Visible 1 meter 1 0.45-0.52 m Visible 4 meters 2 0.52-0.60 m Visible 4 meters 3 0.63-0.69 m Visible 4 meters 4 0.76-0.90 m Visible 4 meters

JERS-1 info Acronym: Japanese Earth Resources Satellite Country: Japan (NASDA) Year Deployed: February 11, 1992 Temporal Resolution: repeat cycle of 44 days. Data Availability: Contact the Alaska SAR Facility. Brief Description: The Japanese Earth Resources Satellite-1 (JERS-1) is a joint project between the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) and the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI). NASDA is in charge of the satellite while MITI is responsible for the observation equipment. JERS-1 was launched in February 1992 and ceased operation on 11 October 1998, four years more than the original two year mission plan. It observed the Earth's surface using optical sensors and a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensor. The optical sensors collected information from eight spectral bands, while the SAR sensor operated in the L-band of the microwave wavelengths. (from Australian National Mapping Agency) Official Webpage: NASDA page: http://yyy.tksc.nasda.go.jp/home/earth_obs/e/jers_e.html; Other Useful Webpages: Embrapa info page: http://ipe.nma.embrapa.br/sat_us/jers.html; Canada Centre for Remote Sensing: http://www.ccrs.nrcan.gc.ca/ccrs/tekrd/satsens/sats/jerse.html; Australia National Mapping Agency: http://anzlic.org.au/acres/prod_ser/eojerdat.htm; Sensor Information: Orbital Altitude: 570 km Orbital Type: Sun synchronous subrecurrent orbit Swath Width: 75 km Band Values: L-band, 23.5 cm. Look Angle: 35 degrees Polarization: HH Spatial Resolution: 18 meters

LANDSAT info Acronym: None Country: USA (NASA) Year Deployed: Sept. 24, 1999 Temporal Resolution: Repeat cycle for Landsats 1, 2 and 3: 18 days; for Landsats 4, 5, and 7: 16 days. Data Availability: Order through EOS Data Gateway (http://edcimswww.cr.usgs.gov/ pub/imswelcome/). Brief Description: The Landsat Program is the longest running enterprise for acqusition of imagery of the earth from space. The first Landsat satellite was launched in 1972; the most recent, Landsat 7, was launched on April 15, 1999. The instruments on the Landsat satellites have acquired millions of images. The images, archived in the United States and at Landsat receiving stations around the world, are a unique resource for global change research and applications in agriculture, geology, forestry, regional planning, education and national security (from Space Imaging, Inc.) Official Webpage: NASA page: http://geo.arc.nasa.gov/sge/landsat/landsat.html; Other Useful Webpages: Space Imaging, Inc.: http://www.spaceimaging.com; Canada Centre for Remote Sensing: http://www.ccrs.nrcan.gc.ca/ccrs/tekrd/satsens/sats/landsate.html;

Sensor Information: Orbital altitude: 681 km (423 miles) Orbital Type: Sun synchronous Landsat 1 Launch: July 23, 1972 Mission end: January 2, 1978 Payload: Multispectral Scanner (MSS) Bands: Resolution: 80 meters Swath: 185 km 1 0.5-0.6 microns 2 0.6-0.7 microns 3 0.7-0.8 microns 4 0.8-1.1 microns Landsat 2 Launch: January 22, 1975 Mission end: February 25, 1982 Payload: Same as Landsat 1. Landsat 3 Launch: March 5, 1978 Mission end: January 7, 1983 Payload: Multispectral Scanner (MSS) Bands: same as Landsat 1, with addition of thermal band (10.4 12.6 microns). Resolution: 80 meters (thermal band is 120 meters) Swath: 185 meters Landsat 4 Launch: July 16, 1982 Mission end: September 1, 1987 Payload: MSS (same as Landsat 1) and Thematic Mapper (TM): Bands: 1 0.45-0.52 microns 2 0.52-0.60 microns 3 0.63-0.69 microns 4 0.76-0.90 microns 5 1.55-1.75 microns 6 10.4-12.4 microns 7 2.08-2.35 microns Resolution: MSS=75 m, TM=30 m (Band 6=120 m) Swath: 185 km Landsat 5 Launch: March 1, 1984 Mission end: October, 1999 Payload: Same as Landsat 4 Landsat 6 Launch: October 5, 1993 Mission end: Soon after launch, failed to achieve orbit. Payload: Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM) Bands: Panchrom. Thermal Resolution: Panchrom.=15 m, = 30 m, Thermal = 120 m. Landsat 7 Launch: April 15, 1999 Mission end: still operational (as of June, 2000) Payload: Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) Bands: Panchrom. Thermal Resolution: Panchrom.=15 m, = 30 m, Thermal = 60 m(2 gain settings) Swath: 185 km Landsat 8 Launch: 2003 proposed 0.5-0.9 microns 0.45-0.52 microns 0.52-0.60 microns 0.63-0.69 microns 0.76-0.90 microns 1.55-1.75 microns 2.08-2.35 microns 10.4-12.5 microns 0.5-0.9 microns 0.45-0.52 microns 0.52-0.60 microns 0.63-0.69 microns 0.76-0.90 microns 1.55-1.75 microns 2.08-2.35 microns 10.4-12.5 microns

MODIS info Acronym: Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer Country: USA Year Deployed: 1999 Temporal Resolution: Daily Data Availability: Through receiving station or ordering from EOS Data Gateway (http://edcimswww. cr.usgs.gov/pub/imswelcome/) Brief Description: MODIS is the key instrument aboard the Terra (EOS AM-1) satellite. The MODIS Instrument will view the entire Earth's surface every 1 to 2 days, acquiring data in 36 spectral bands. These data will improve our understanding of global dynamics and processes occurring on the land, in the oceans, and in the lower atmosphere. MODIS will play a vital role in the development of validated, global, interactive Earth system models able to predict global change accurately enough to assist policy makers in making sound decisions concerning the protection of our environment. (from MODIS website) Official Webpage: MODIS homepage: http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/modis/modis.html; Other Useful Webpages: Terra sensors: http://128.102.124.15/sge/health/sensor/ sensors/eosam1.html;

Sensor Information: Swath width: 2330 km Band Values: see chart below. Primary Use Band # Wavelengths Spatial Resolution Land/Cloud 1 620-670 nm 250 m Boundaries 2 841-876 nm 250 m Land/Cloud 3 459-479 nm 500 m Properties 4 545-565 nm 500 m 5 1230-1250 nm 500 m 6 1628-1652 nm 500 m 7 2105-2155 nm 500 m Ocean Color/ 8 405-420 nm 1000 m Phyt oplankton/ 9 438-448 nm 1000 m Biogeochem istry 10 483-493 nm 1000 m 11 526-536 nm 1000 m 12 546-556 nm 1000 m 13 662-672 nm 1000 m 14 673-683 nm 1000 m 15 743-753 nm 1000 m 16 862-877 nm 1000 m Atmos pheric 17 890-920 nm 1000 m Water V apor 18 931-941 nm 1000 m 19 915-965 nm 1000 m Surface/Cloud 20 3.660-3.840 m 1000 m Temperature 21 3.929-3.989 m 1000 m 22 3.929-3.989 m 1000 m 23 4.020-4.080 m 1000 m Atmos pheric 24 4.433-4.498 m 1000 m Temperature 25 4.482-4.549 m 1000 m Cirrus Clouds 26 1.360-1.390 m 1000 m Water V apor 27 6.535-6.895 m 1000 m 28 7.175-7.475 m 1000 m 29 8.400-8.700 m 1000 m Ozone 30 9.580-9.880 m 1000 m Surface/Cloud 31 10.780-11.280 m 1000 m Temperature 32 11.770-12.270 m 1000 m Cloud Top 33 13.185-13.485 m 1000 m Altitude 34 13.485-13.785 m 1000 m 35 13.785-14.085 m 1000 m 36 14.085-14.385 m 1000 m

RADARSAT-1 info Acronym: Radar Satellite Country: Canada Year Deployed: November 1995 Temporal Resolution: North of 70 N: Daily; North of 48 N: Every 4 days; Whole Earth (N of 80 S): Every 6 Data Availability: For US users, contact the Alaska SAR Facility to order. See the Radarsat homepage for all other distributors. Brief Description: RADARSAT is an advanced Earth observation satellite system developed by Canada to monitor environmental change and to support resource sustainability. With the launch of RADARSAT-1 in November 1995, Canada and the world have access to the first fully operational civilian radar satellite system capable of large scale production and timely delivery of data. The data from the satellite meets the needs of commercial, government and scientific programs and provides a new and reliable source of high quality radar data. All Canadian provinces participated in planning the RADARSAT program. Approximately 100 Canadian and international organizations were involved in the design and construction of the space and ground segments. The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched RADARSAT in exchange for the right of access to the satellite on a pro rata basis. (from Radarsat homepage) Radarsat-2 is slated to launch in October, 2002.

Official Webpage: Radarsat Homepage: http://radarsat.space.gc.ca/; Other Useful Webpages: Alaska SAR Facility Radarsat info: http://www.asf.alaska.edu/radarsat/radarsat_toc.html; Radarsat glossary: http://noaaserverdev.saa.noaa.gov/help/glossary.html; Radarsat-2 homepage: http://radarsat.mda.ca/; Sensor Information: Orbital Altitude: 793 821 km Orbital Type: Sun-synchronous polar Swath Width: See chart below Band Values: C-band, 5.6 cm. Look Angle: 20-60 degrees Polarization: HH Imaging Modes: Mode Resolution (m) Swath width ( km) Inclination (dg) Fine 8 45 37-47 Standard 30 100 20-49 Wide 30 150 20-45 ScanSAR narrow 50 300 20-49 ScanSAR wide 100 500 20-49 Extended (H) 18-27 75 52-58 Extended (L) 50 170 10-22