Two cameras on NASA’s Ocean and Surface Water Survey spacecraft captured the in-orbit deployment of the mast and antenna panels of the spacecraft’s main science instrument on video over four days.
The SWOT satellite was launched into Earth orbit on December 16 with the aim of measuring the height of water over more than 90% of the earth’s surface, providing a high-definition study of our planet’s water for the first time.
At each end of the mast are the two antennas that belong to the innovative Ka-Band Radar Interferometer (Karin) instrument. The instrument is designed to make accurate measurements of the height of water in freshwater bodies and the Earth’s oceans.
Karin will see eddies, currents and other oceanic features less than 20 kilometers wide. She will also collect data on lakes and reservoirs larger than 62,500 square meters and rivers over 100 meters wide.
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Source: RT
