FIGOSAT: First interoceanic GNSS-reflection observation satellite-A feasibility study

Our mission objective is to design an altimeter satellite that uses GNSS-reflections, which means a dedicated receiver (passive instrument) onboard the satellite. Another requirement is being competitive with conventional altimeter satellites (active instruments). The use of GNSS-reflections is feasible when the antenna is optimized for receiving weak signals. We choose a phased array antenna concept. The antenna has a large field of view (FOV) of 80∘, because it will be able to steer the beam and to receive up to 12 specular points simultaneously. This means that it is possible to see a much wider area than with a conventional satellite. Furthermore the satellite will have a 10-day repeat orbit doing 143 orbits with an inclination of 99.58∘ at an altitude of 79,173 km. The cost price is estimated around a 100 Million Euro.