By Canadian Press

Canada-made radar satellite component to be used in global surface water survey

Dec 15, 2022 | 10:10 AM

LONGUEUIL, Que. — A piece of Canadian radar technology will play a key role in a satellite mission scheduled to launch Friday that aims to study almost all of the Earth’s water surfaces.

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission is led by NASA and France’s space agency, CNES, with contributions from Canada and the United Kingdom.

The mission will survey 90 per cent of the Earth’s water surfaces and collect data to help better understand and deal with the effects of climate change and improve water management.

A Canadian-made component of NASA’s radar will generate pulses used to gather precise surface information, and Canadian scientists are part of the SWOT science team.

Researchers told a briefing at the Canadian Space Agency today the SWOT mission will revolutionize the observation of ocean currents from space.

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The satellite is expected to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California early Friday morning after a planned launch today was scrubbed by NASA.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 15, 2022.

The Canadian Press

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