Cloud profiling radar for the CloudSat mission

Abstract

The cloud profiling radar (CPR) for the upcoming CloudSat mission is a spaceborne 94-GHz nadir-looking radar that measures the power backscattered by clouds as a function of distance from the radar. This sensor is expected to provide cloud measurements at a 500-m vertical resolution and a 1.5-km horizontal resolution. CPR operates in a short-pulse mode and yields measurements at a minimum detectable sensitivity of-28 dBZ.