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Envisat Objectives
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The main objective of the Envisat programme is to endow Europe with an enhanced
capability for remote sensing observation of Earth from space, with the aim of further
increasing the capacity of participating states to take part in the studying and monitoring
of the Earth and its environment.
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Characteristics
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| Launch Date |
March 1, 2002 |
| Launcher |
Ariane V |
| Launch mass |
8200 kg |
| Payload mass |
2050 kg |
| Mission length |
5 years |
| Number of instruments |
10 |
| Orbit |
Sun synchronous |
| Altitude |
800 km |
| Inclination |
98 degrees |
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Mission and System
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In March 2002, the European Space Agency launched Envisat, an advanced polar-orbiting Earth observation
satellite which provides measurements of the atmosphere, ocean, land, and ice.
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The Envisat satellite has an ambitious and innovative payload that will ensure the continuity of the
data measurements of the ESA ERS satellites. Envisat data supports earth science research and allows
monitoring of the evolution of environmental and climatic changes. Furthermore, the data will facilitate
the development of operational and commercial applications.
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Scientific Goals
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The Earth’s ocean, the land with its plant and animal life, the ice covered regions (cryosphere) and
all levels of the atmosphere (troposphere, stratosphere and mesosphere) are all parts of an
interconnected system – the Earth system. A change in any one part affects what happens elsewhere
in the system.
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Envisat carries instruments to collect information that will help scientists to understand each
part of the Earth system and to predict how changes in one part will affect others. Many of Envisat’s
instruments are a development of those that flew on the Agency’s Earth-Observing missions of the
1990s, ERS 1 and 2. This means that scientists have observations stretching back over 10 years.
It will therefore be possible to make comparisons between conditions observed during Envisat’s
lifetime and those recorded during the past 10 years.
Mission objectives are:
- to provide for continuity of the observations started with the ERS satellites, including
those obtained from radar-based observations
- to enhance the ERS mission, notably the ocean and ice mission
- to extend the range of parameters observed to meet the need of increasing knowledge of
the factors determining the environment
- to make a significant contribution to environmental studies, notably in the area of
atmospheric chemistry and ocean studies (including marine biology)
- to allow more effective monitoring and management of the Earth's resources
- to better understand solid Earth processes
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| ©Copyright 2004 LSE Space Engineering & Operations AG |
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