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Cryosat-2 Fact Sheet
Customer European Space Agency
Mission Determine fluctuations in the mass of the Earth’s major land and marine ice fields
Orbit
  • Low Earth-orbit, non-Sun-synchronous
  • Altitude: 724km
  • Inclination: 92˚
Spacecraft
  • Aluminium-sandwich structure with two gallium arsenide body‑mounted solar arrays, nominally delivering 800W each
  • 78Ah Lithium ion battery
  • Pointing error: < 0,1˚
  • Stability < 0,001˚/s
Payload
  • SIRAL (SAR Interferometric Radar Altimeter)
  • DORIS (Doppler Orbitography and Radiopositioning Integrated by Satellite)
  • LRR (Laser Retro Reflector)
Features Power: 400W (nominal) - 800W peak
Launch Mass 720kg
Dimensions 4.6m long, 2.34m wide
Mission Duration Six months of commissioning followed by a three-year operational mission
Astrium Responsibilities
  • Prime Contractor
  • Spacecraft Integration and Testing
  • MMFU (Mass Memory and Formatting Unit)
  • PCDU (Power Conditioning and Distribution Unit)
  • Going further
  • Keys To Understand