Design of the CryoSat system

CryoSat, as the first Earth Explorer Opportunity Mission, is characterised by a clear focus on science within a very limited financial budget and a short development time. CryoSat is now well into its development and will be launched in 2004. The entire mission is designed in support of specific scientific objectives and this has enabled very clear trade-offs to be made in all the key technical aspects. The selection of the orbit, the payload and the services provided by the satellite subsystems have all been optimised. The primary instrument is a state-of-the-art radar altimeter with additional SAR and interferometric capabilities to improve its spatial resolution. The CryoSat orbit has an inclination of 92 degrees, to optimise the satellite measurements over polar regions. A single ground station, at Kiruna, will be used for all operations. The CryoSat mission has the promise of addressing a well-formulated scientific question, affordably, and within a realistic timescale.