The 3rd SAR-Lupe satellite, carrying Thales Alenia Space Sensor Electronic Units, which form the core of the Synthetic Aperture Radar that will provide high-resolution images to the German Ministry of Defence, has been boosted into orbit. The SAR-Lupe program, which has a lifetime of 10 years, comprises a constellation of five identical small satellites, which will be positioned into three quasi-polar orbital planes at 500 km altitude, and a ground segment.
The first SAR-Lupe satellite was launched on December 19, 2006, and the second on July 3, 2007. Two more are scheduled for launch at intervals of four to six months until the constellation is completed in 2008.
This mission is based on the most sophisticated technologies in the SAR radar field, able to get images under any weather or light conditions (day or night). The system will supply recent and high definition images of virtually any region in the world. It will provide images in X-band and offer a spatial resolution of less than 1 m. It can also operate in ‘spotlight’ mode to improve the spatial resolution. Thales Alenia Space is responsible for the design and development of the Sensor Electronic Units, comprising radiofrequency, processing and control sub-units.
The ground segments for SAR-Lupe and the French Helios II systems will be inter-connected, so that each country can use the other's satellite and receive imagery. This data combination will significantly improve the reconnaissance capabilities of the two partner nations.