EO·Atlas
SAR Interferometer Radar Altimeter (SIRAL)
Compiled from public sources on 2026-06-16. Not independently verified by Thales Alenia Space.
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Ku-band SAR/interferometric radar altimeter on CryoSat-2, optimised for ice-sheet elevation and sea-ice freeboard measurements.
SIRAL, the SAR Interferometer Radar Altimeter, is the Ku-band radar altimeter flown on CryoSat-2.[1][2][3] It operates at 13.575 GHz, with WMO listing a 350 MHz bandwidth, and provides CryoSat-2 with a single-frequency radar-altimetry measurement system.[1][2][3] SIRAL supports low-resolution nadir altimetry, SAR mode, and SAR interferometric mode using two cross-track-aligned antennas.[1][2] Those modes let CryoSat-2 measure ice-sheet elevation and sea-ice freeboard while also supporting ocean dynamic topography, significant wave height, and wind speed over sea.[1][2] Radar altimetry is demonstrated through SIRAL's CryoSat-2 service record.[1]
Pricing not publicly listed by operator
Compositional position
- [1]WMO OSCAR instrument record: SIRALagency doc2026-06-16
- [2]AVISO+ CryoSat instruments: SIRAL altimeteragency doc2026-06-16
- [3]CryoSat Product Handbook, ESA Earth Onlineagency doc2026-06-16