PAZ
The Spanish PAZ satellite (owner HisdesSAT) is an X-band SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) spacecraft based on the TerraSAR-X platform built by Airbus (former Astrium). It is the first Spanish satellite for radar-based Earth Observation.
The objective of the PAZ-SAR instrument is to provide high quality SAR imagery in a variety of sizes and resolution ranging from medium over wide regions up to very high resolution (similar to TerraSAR-X).
PAZ has the same orbit as TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X (altitude = 514 km, inclination = 97.44º). Operating the three almost identical satellites in a constellation provides customers with a wide range of benefits:
-
Extended revisit capacity for any point on Earth
- Enhanced acquisition capacity for monitoring and mapping applications
- Improved interferometric capabilities for precise monitoring of highly dynamic surface movements
The PAZ spacecraft was launched on 22 February 2018 with a SpaceX Falcon-9 vehicle from Vandenberg (USA).
GSOC operated the mission during the LEOP Phase. On Monday, 26 February 2018, the mission was transferred to the owner HisdeSAT for the routine operations.
Launch Date | 22 February 2018 |
|---|
Orbit Altitude | 514 km |
Orbital Position | 97,5° |
Mass
| 1200 kg |
Dimensions | 5,0 m x 2,4 m |
Launch Site | Vandenberg, CA |
Launch Vehicle | Falcon 9 |
Control Center | DLR / GSOC |
Ground Stations (LEOP Network) | Weilheim, Svalbard, Inuvik, O´Higgins, Saskatoon, St. Hubert |
