<\/em><\/p>\n L2 Resources: All the Soyuz Launch Vehicle Manuals and Payload Planner\u2019s Guides, plus more.<\/font><\/p>\n **LIVE EVENT PAGES FOR Soyuz-FG\/RADARSAT-2 Launch**<\/p>\n **FREE Soyuz-FG\/RADARSAT-2<\/font> Launch Video**<\/font><\/em> \u2013 <\/em>Free to all forum members (registration is free \u2013 we do not use your e-mail for spam, only to send you your forum password \u2013 which is automated. NASA educational resources (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/p>\n Mission:<\/font><\/u><\/em><\/p>\n This will be the 20th commercial Soyuz mission managed by launch provider Starsem, and is the follow-on to Canada\u2019s highly successful RADARSAT-1 platform, which was launched in 1995.<\/font> RADARSAT-2 incorporates technical advancements that include 3-meter high-resolution imaging, flexibility in selection of its scanning polarization, left and right-looking imaging options, superior data storage and more precise measurements of spacecraft position and attitude.<\/p>\n <\/font> Operating in C-band, the RADARSAT-2 SAR Payload ensures continuity of all existing RADARSAT-1 modes, and offers an extensive range of additional features ranging from improvement in resolution to full flexibility in the selection of polarization options.<\/font><\/p>\n The enhanced capabilities are provided by a significant improvement in instrument design, employing a state-of-the-art phased array antenna composed of an array of hundreds of miniature transmit-receive modules. Fully computer-controlled, the antenna is capable of being steered electronically over the full range of the swath and can switch between operating modes virtually instantaneously.<\/font><\/p>\n RADARSAT-2 will be placed in a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of approximately 800 kilometers. A stabilization stage will start automatically once the spacecraft separates from the launch vehicle. Spacecraft initialization consists of switching on sensors: Global Positioning System, Magnetometer, Gyro and Sun Sensor. <\/p>\n At launcher release, the spacecraft will autonomously recognize its angular rate, damp it and acquire controlled attitude. Upon success of de-spin and first sun acquisition, RADARSAT-2 will start to acquire a coarse stable three-axes attitude. This process should take two or three orbits.<\/font> <\/font>Full mission background is available on the live event page \u2013 linked above.<\/em><\/font><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A Soyuz 2.1b-FG launch vehicle with Fregat upper stage has launched with the RADARSAT-2 satellite \u2013 Canada\u2019s next-generation commercial synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite. Launch was successful at 13:17 GMT from Baikonur cosmodrome. NASASpaceflight.com covered the launch as a live event, with background, live updates, images and a free launch video, available on the links […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41525"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41525"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41525\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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\nThe workhorse Soyuz is a member of Arianespace\u2019s growing family of commercial launch vehicles. This medium-lift launcher will be joining Ariane 5 in operations from Europe\u2019s Spaceport in French Guiana beginning in 2009. (See L2 for photographs of the new launch pad being built).<\/font>
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\nThe RADARSAT-2 spacecraft was developed in a unique government\/industry collaboration involving the Canadian Space Agency and MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. <\/b>(MDA<\/b>). MDA is to operate the satellite and ground segment, while the Canadian Space Agency contributed funds for RADARSAT-2\u2019s construction and launch. <\/p>\n
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The SAR Payload includes the SAR antenna and associated sensor electronics required for imaging. EMS Canada (now MDA Montreal) was the SAR Payload subcontractor.<\/font><\/p>\n
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\nThe design lifespan of RADARSAT-2 is 7 years, but could be extended, as demonstrated by RADARSAT-1 \u2013 which had a design lifespan of 5 years, but is still fully operational after 11 years.<\/font><\/p>\n