WELCOME SCIENCE MISSION SATELLITE MADRAS SAPHIR SCARAB GROUND SEGMENT ORGANIZATION CONTACTS OTHER SITES
 
MEGHA-TROPIQUES
MEGHA-TROPIQUES Satellite
CHARACTERISTICS 
Mission studying the water cycle over the Tropics
Three instrument : MADRAS, SAPHIR and SCARAB
Orbit at 800 km altitude with a 20° inclination above the equator.

Click here to increase or decrease font size: A  A  A  A

  
 

The french-indian MEGHA-TROPIQUES satellite is devoted to the atmospheric research. The data collected by the satellite will allow to improve our knowledge on the water cycle contribution to the climate dynamic in the tropical atmosphere and our understanding of the processes linked to the tropical convection. CNES and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) will share joint responsibility for the satellite and science missions, with CNES acting as prime contractor for some of the instruments.

The launch is set for the second semester of 2010.

The basic principles of the MEGHA-TROPIQUES mission are to:

    provide simultaneous measurements of several elements of the atmospheric water cycle: water vapour, clouds, condensed water in clouds, precipitation and evaporation,
    measure the corresponding radiative budget at the top of the atmosphere,
    ensure high temporal sampling in order to characterise the life cycle of the convective system and to obtain significant statistics.

MEGHA-TROPIQUES is a mini-satellite using an indian platform (IRS). Its payload is constituted of:

    MADRAS: a microwave imager aimed mainly at studying precipitation and clouds properties,
    SAPHIR: a 6 channels microwave radiometer for the retrieval of water vapour vertical profiles and horizontal distribution,
    SCARAB: a radiometer devoted to the measurement of outgoing radiative fluxes at the top of the atmosphere.

Latest Update 29/01/2010
Before reproducing any containt of this web site, please consult the Rights
 
 
 
The water cycle in the atmosphere over the Tropics is a key element of Earth's climate (© CNES)		  
KEY EVENTS
May 24 & 25, 2007
Critical Design Review of SAPHIR and SCARAB instruments 		 
ANNOUNCEMENT
December 14, 2009
In the context of the Megha-Tropiques mission, CNES and ISRO are jointly issuing an international Annoncement of Opportunity for selecting an international science working team. Due date for responding is March 31, 2010.
(the announcement...) 		 
March 23 to 25, 2009
International Conference on MEGHA-TROPIQUES Science and Applications