Advanced millimeter-wave technology for the next generation passive meteorological low Earth orbit sounders

The Advanced Microwave Sounder (AMSU-B) was originally designed in the late 1970´s early 1980´s and whilst have proven highly successful, they however do not take advantage of significant advancements that have been made since the original design phase. This paper describes the recent concept investigation into a 21st Century state-of-the-art microwave sounder using the very latest hybrid receiver technologies.