RADARSAT-1 Background Mission for a global SAR coverage

Abstract

RADARSAT-1 Background Mission is the first attempt ever to acquire uniform global synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data in various seasons and imaging modes. A multi-mode global coverage is made possible by making use of the flexible imaging parameters of the satellite and its real-time as well as on-board recording capabilities. Synoptic, continental scale coverages along with local time-sensitive and application-specific data collections are planned. All data acquired under Background Mission are archived and, like the archives of any other RADARSAT-1 data, are accessible to the user community for its scientific and operational needs. RADARSAT-1 Background Mission started with the commencement of normal satellite operations in April 1996. This article reports on the progress made so far in the first two coverages of the world, one with the ScanSAR Wide and the other with the Standard 7 imaging beams of RADARSAT-1 SAR.