WindSat Level IC Development
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Sensor Description:
WindSat is a multifrequency polarimetric microwave radiometer designed to demonstrate the capability of polarimetric microwave radiometry to measure the ocean surface wind vector from space. It has 22 channels operating at 5 frequencies. All frequencies have both v and h polarizations and three of the channels also have +/-45, left-hand circular, and right-hand circular polarizations. The instrument scans both fore and aft and while some frequency bands have a swath width greater that 1200 km, the common swath width is approximately 950 km (68 degrees of scan angle) and the aft common swath is 350 km (23 degrees of scan angle). It was launched on board the U.S. Dept. of Defense Coriolis satellite on January 6, 2003 into an 840 km circular sun-synchronous orbit.
Table 1. WindSat characteristics:
| Center Frequencies(GHz) | 6.8 | 10.7 | 18.7 | 23.8 | 37.0 |
| Polarization | V/H | V/H/+-45/L/R | V/H/+-45/L/R | V/H | V/H/+-45/L/R |
| Bandwidth (MHz) | 125 | 300 | 750 | 500 | 2000 |
| Sensitivity (K) | 0.48 | 0.37 | 0.39 | 0.55 | 0.45 |
| IFOV (km x km) | 60x40 | 38x25 | 27x16 | 20x12 | 13x8 |
| Earth Incidence Angle (deg) | 53.5 | 49.9 | 55.3 | 53.0 | 53.0 |
Source Data:
The source for the Level 1C data is the Sensor Data Record (SDR) data produced by the Navy's Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center (FNMOC).
Satellite Intercalibration
Information on the satellite intercalibration is dependent on the version. The table below provides links to the calibration information for the WindSat Level 1C versions produced to date.
Additional Documentation/References:
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