SWOT, NASA’s latest satellite designed for mapping water on Earth, successfully completed the deployment of its solar panels and antennas within four days.
On December 29, NASA released a video documenting the deployment process of the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite after its launch into space aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
Initially, SWOT needed to unfurl its solar panel systems to provide power. After completing this phase, the satellite was able to deploy its essential antennas. Experts utilized remote sensing data to monitor and control SWOT, which is also equipped with four commercial cameras to capture the unfolding events.
NASA stated that the solar panel deployment took approximately 10 minutes. The antennas were successfully deployed over four days, concluding on December 22, 2022. Two cameras focused on the KaRIn antennas, capturing the moment the support beams extended from the satellite and moved into position. While the team was unable to record the full deployment of the antenna system, they confirmed this milestone using remote sensing data.
The information provided by SWOT will help humanity prepare for a warming world.
The SWOT satellite aims to map water on Earth with unprecedented detail. This will aid humanity in addressing climate change and managing precious resources more effectively. The two KaRIn antennas are located at either end of the support beams, spaced 10 meters apart. KaRIn will observe whirlpools, ocean currents, and small ocean structures with widths of less than 20 kilometers.
SWOT is designed to take precise measurements of water depth in freshwater bodies and oceans on Earth. It will collect data on rivers wider than 100 meters and lakes larger than 62,500 square meters, with a collection range of 50 kilometers on either side of the satellite. To achieve this, radar pulses from KaRIn will bounce off the Earth’s surface and water surface, with both antennas receiving the signals.
NASA explains that the information provided by SWOT will help humanity prepare for a warming world, supporting researchers and decision-makers in addressing some of the urgent climate-related challenges today.
