# CSG-SAR
*sensor . products*

X-band synthetic aperture radar payload flown on COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation spacecraft.

## Specifications
- **product status**: operational
- **deployment context**: orbital
- **manufacturer**: thales-alenia-space
- **sensor**: {"instrument_family":"sar","measurement_principle":"active","frequency_band":"X","centre_frequency_mhz":9600,"polarisation_modes":["HH","VV","HV","VH","dual-pol","quad-pol"],"incidence_angle_range_deg":[20,50],"swath_km":200,"modes":[{"name":"Spotlight","resolution_range_m":0.5,"resolution_azimuth_m":0.35,"swath_km":7.3},{"name":"Stripmap","resolution_range_m":3,"resolution_azimuth_m":3,"swath_km":40},{"name":"ScanSAR","resolution_range_m":6,"resolution_azimuth_m":40,"swath_km":200}],"notes":"WMO OSCAR records CSG-SAR as an X-band SAR with 0.35 to 40 m resolution, 7.3 to 200 km swath and single, dual and quadruple polarisation modes depending on acquisition mode."}
- **entity type**: sensor
- **last verified date**: 2026-06-16
- **verified by**: agency-doc
- **claim status**: agency-sourced
- **provider**: thales-alenia-space
- **attributes**: {"kind":"sensor","product_status":"operational","deployment_context":"orbital","manufacturer":"thales-alenia-space","description":"X-band synthetic aperture radar payload flown on COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation spacecraft.","sensor":"{\"instrument_family\":\"sar\",\"measurement_principle\":\"active\",\"frequency_band\":\"X\",\"centre_frequency_mhz\":9600,\"polarisation_modes\":[\"HH\",\"VV\",\"HV\",\"VH\",\"dual-pol\",\"quad-pol\"],\"incidence_angle_range_deg\":[20,50],\"swath_km\":200,\"modes\":[{\"name\":\"Spotlight\",\"resolution_range_m\":0.5,\"resolution_azimuth_m\":0.35,\"swath_km\":7.3},{\"name\":\"Stripmap\",\"resolution_range_m\":3,\"resolution_azimuth_m\":3,\"swath_km\":40},{\"name\":\"ScanSAR\",\"resolution_range_m\":6,\"resolution_azimuth_m\":40,\"swath_km\":200}],\"notes\":\"WMO OSCAR records CSG-SAR as an X-band SAR with 0.35 to 40 m resolution, 7.3 to 200 km swath and single, dual and quadruple polarisation modes depending on acquisition mode.\"}"}
- **relevance**: in-scope

## Editorial
CSG-SAR is the multi-polarisation X-band synthetic-aperture radar payload for COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation spacecraft, manufactured and provided by Thales Alenia Space.[^wmo-csg-sar][^asi-cosmo-page] It operates at 9.60 GHz in X-band and is recorded with 20-50 degree off-nadir access, up to a 600 km field of regard, and mode-dependent resolution from 0.35 m to 40 m.[^wmo-csg-sar]

The sensor supports single, dual and quad-polarisation acquisitions, including HH, VV, HV and VH combinations depending on collection mode.[^wmo-csg-sar] Its public mode envelope spans Spotlight, Stripmap and ScanSAR acquisitions: the structured examples include Spotlight at sub-metre resolution over a 7.3 km swath, Stripmap at 3 m resolution over 40 km, and ScanSAR coverage up to 200 km.[^wmo-csg-sar]

For applications, CSG-SAR has demonstrated SAR backscatter, interferometric surface-deformation and polarimetric SAR use through the COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation mission context, and it is capable of SAR backscatter change detection where repeat imaging geometry and archive depth are suitable.[^wmo-csg-sar] The payload is an evolution of the first-generation COSMO-SkyMed SAR-2000 heritage, so buyers comparing CSG with earlier COSMO-SkyMed data should treat the second-generation sensor as a related but upgraded X-band SAR implementation rather than a direct sensor duplicate.[^wmo-csg-sar][^esa-csg-products]

## Compositional position
- cosmo-skymed-second-generation (missions) --[mission_payloads]--> CSG-SAR

## Sources
- [wmo-csg-sar] | CSG-SAR instrument record, WMO OSCAR | https://space.oscar.wmo.int/instruments/view/csg_sar | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-16 | published=2021-06-15
- [asi-cosmo-page] | COSMO-SkyMed, Italian Space Agency | https://www.asi.it/en/earth-science/cosmo-skymed/ | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-16
- [esa-csg-products] | COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation Mission and Products Description | https://earth.esa.int/eogateway/documents/20142/37627/COSMO-SkyMed-Second-Generation-Mission-Products-Description.pdf | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-16

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Source: https://eo-atlas.org/products/sensor/csg-sar
Maintainer: SpectraWorks B.V. (CC-BY 4.0)