Description

The Canadian Space Agency’s (CSA) Remote Sensing satellite (RADARSAT-1) was launched in November 1995, and stopped transmitting because of a technical anomaly in March 2013. It was equipped with synthetic aperture radar (SAR), a powerful microwave instrument. It transmitted and received signals to capture high-quality images of the Earth night and day and in all weather conditions. RADARSAT-1 transmitted a microwave energy pulse (C-band at 5.3 GHz frequency) to Earth, and the SAR measured the amount of energy reflected back to the satellite from the Earth’s surface.

The RADARSAT-1 data archive via the ASF DAAC is now free and open. This is an unrestricted dataset, and users are free to copy, modify, publish, translate, adapt, distribute or otherwise use the RADARSAT-1 information in any medium, mode or format for any lawful purpose. Learn more about the Canada’s Open Government License.

RADARSAT-1 collected Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data from 1995-2008. The instrument had worldwide coverage, with extensive coverage of Arctic Ocean sea ice. The datapool contains ASF standard beam odd frames, as well as the first and last frame of each imaged swath. The datapool also contains all Fine Beam 1 frames in a CEOS — Level 0 and Level 1 framed format.

Overview

Dataset Property	Fine Beam Mode	Standard Beam Mode	ScanSAR Beam Mode
Temporal Coverage	1995-2008	1995-2008	1995-2008
Repeat Cycle	24 days	24 days	24 days
Spatial Coverage	Worldwide coverage, with extensive coverage of Arctic Ocean sea ice	Worldwide coverage, with extensive coverage of Arctic Ocean sea ice	Worldwide coverage, with extensive coverage of Arctic Ocean sea ice
Center Frequency	5.3 GHz/C-band 5.6 cm	5.3 GHz/C-band 5.6 cm	5.3 GHz/C-band 5.6 cm
Polarization	HH	HH	HH
Spatial Resolution	8 m	30 m	50-100 m
Swath Width	50 km	100 km	300-500 km
Off-Nadir Angle	37-47°	20-49°	20-49°
File Format	CEOS — Level 0 and Level 1 framed	CEOS — Level 0 and Level 1 framed	CEOS — Level 0 and Level 1 framed
Date Published	1995	1995	1995

Downloadable Products

Downloadable Products include Level 0 (raw data), Level 1 (amplitude image), Left-looking and Antarctica mosaics.

* NOTE: Exact swath varies with incidence angle and the latitude of the image footprint.

Beam Mode	Beam Position	Incidence Angle (degrees)	Resolution Range x Azimuth (m)	*Real Time swath (km)**
Standard	S1	24-31	24 x 27	100
Standard	S2	30-37	20 x 27	100
Standard	S3	34-40	25 x 27	100
Standard	S4	36-42	23 x 27	100
Standard	S5	41-46	22 x 27	100
Standard	S6	45-49	20 x 27	100
Standard	S7	39-42	19 x 27	100

Beam Mode	Beam Position	Incidence Angle (degrees)	Resolution Range x Azimuth (m)	*Real Time swath (km)**
Fine	F1	37-41	8.3 x 8.4	50
Fine	F2	39-42	7.9 x 8.4	50
Fine	F3	41-44	7.6 x 8.4	50
Fine	F4	43-46	7.3 x 8.4	50
Fine	F5	45-47	7.1 x 8.4	50

Beam Mode	Beam Position	Incidence Angle (degrees)	Resolution Range x Azimuth (m)	*Real Time swath (km)**
Wide	W1	20-31	33 x 27	150
Wide	W2	31-39	35 x 27	150
Wide	W3	39-45	21 x 27	150

Beam Mode	Beam Position	Incidence Angle (degrees)	Resolution Range x Azimuth (m)	*Real Time swath (km)**
Extended Low	EL-1	10-23	39 x 27	170

Beam Mode	Beam Position	Incidence Angle (degrees)	Resolution Range x Azimuth (m)	*Real Time swath (km)**
Extended High	EH1	49-52	18 x 27	75
Extended High	EH2	50-53	18 x 27	75
Extended High	EH3	52-55	17 x 27	75
Extended High	EH4	54-57	17 x 27	75
Extended High	EH5	56-58	16 x 27	75
Extended High	EH6	57-60	16 x 27	75

Beam Mode	Beam Position	Incidence Angle (degrees)	Resolution Range x Azimuth (m)	*Real Time swath (km)**
Scan SAR Narrow	SNA	20-39	50 x 50	300
Scan SAR Narrow	SNB	31-46	50 x 50	300

Beam Mode	Beam Position	Incidence Angle (degrees)	Resolution Range x Azimuth (m)	*Real Time swath (km)**
Scan SAR Wide	SWA	20-49	100 x 100	500
Scan SAR Wide	SWB	20-46	100 x 100	450

* NOTE: Exact swath varies with incidence angle and the latitude of the image footprint.

Product Summary

Platforms

RADARSAT-1

Instruments

C-SAR

Spatial Extent

90.0°, -180.0°, -90.0°, 180.0°

Geographic Region

Global

Temporal Extent

1996-02-01 to 2009-03-17

Temporal Resolution

24 days

Data Partner

Canadian Space Agency (CSA)

RADARSAT-1 Level 1 Standard Beam Data Coverage

Citation

Citation is critically important for dataset documentation and discovery. This dataset is openly shared, without restriction, in accordance with the EOSDIS Data Use Policy.

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Data Center Citation

Credit data used in publications such as journal papers, articles, presentations, posters, and websites. Please send copies of, or links to, published works citing data, imagery, or tools accessed through ASF to uso@asf.alaska.edu” with “New Publication” on the subject line.

Format	Example
Dataset: RADARSAT-1, CSA [year of data acquisition]. Retrieved from ASF DAAC [day month year of data access].	Dataset: RADARSAT-1, CSA 1999. Retrieved from ASF DAAC 7 December 2014.

How to Credit Imagery

Include credit with each image shown in publications such as journal papers, articles, presentations, posters, and websites. (NASA does not copyright imagery.)

Format	Example
© CSA [year of data acquisition]	© CSA 2002

Sample Images Carousel

Documents

ASF_SAR_Sea-Ice-MEaSUREs_00135_users-master_v1.0.pdf
ASF RADARSAT-1 Data Product Specifications

Variables

SDS Name Sort descending	Description	Units	Data Type	Fill Values	No Data Value	Valid Ranges	Scale

Maps

RADARSAT-1 Level 1 Standard Beam Data Coverage

High Resolution

PNG

RADARSAT-1 Level 1 Fine Beam Data Coverage

High Resolution

PNG

RADARSAT-1 Level 1 ScanSAR Wide Beam Data Coverage

High Resolution

PNG