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The WindSat Polarimetric Radiometer, a joint project among NASA, NOAA, and the Department of Defense, was launched on January 6, 2003, aboard the Department of Defense Coriolis satellite. WindSat was designed to measure the ocean surface wind vector from space using a polarimetric radiometer. 

Animation of Top of Atmosphere Brightness Temperature of 6.8 GHz band in 2018 based on the WindSat L1C calibrated dataset from Remote Sensing Systems (RSS). Credit: PO.DAAC

Learn more about WindSat

Instrument Type

Spectrometer/Radiometer

Instrument Subtype

Radiometer

Specifications

Resolution

Spatial

Changing with frequency, consistent with antenna diameters of 1.83 m

Spectral

5 frequencies, 22-channel MW radiometer

Temporal

Global in 1.5 days

Related Data Centers/Projects

PO.DAAC

NASA's Physical Oceanography Distributed Active Archive Center manages and provides tools and services for NASA's oceanographic and hydrologic data.

Frequently Asked Questions

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