Independent Calibration of the Sentinel-1C SAR System

Abstract:
Sentinel-1C will be the third satellite of the Sentinel-1 mission. To be launched in late 2024, it will ensure seamless continuity of C-band SAR data for global monitoring of the Earth surface in the framework of the Copernicus program. In parallel to the commissioning of Sentinel-1C by the European Space Agency (ESA), an independent verification of the system calibration will be performed by DLR under an ESA contract. Based on an efficient calibration strategy, this paper describes the different activities to be performed by DLR during the commissioning phase (CP) of Sentinel-1C.