# SAR-L (SAOCOM L-band SAR)
*sensor . products*

Polarimetric L-band synthetic-aperture radar payload flown on SAOCOM-1A and SAOCOM-1B.

## Specifications
- **product status**: operational
- **deployment context**: orbital
- **manufacturer**: invap
- **sensor**: {"instrument_family":"sar","measurement_principle":"active","frequency_band":"L","centre_frequency_mhz":1275,"polarisation_modes":["HH","HV","VH","VV"],"incidence_angle_range_deg":[20,50],"swath_km":350,"modes":[{"name":"SAOCOM stripmap/TOPSAR family","resolution_range_m":10,"swath_km":350,"polarisation":"full-pol available"}],"notes":"CEOS and WMO identify SAR-L as the operational L-band SAR instrument on SAOCOM-1A; INVAP engineering material gives 1.275 GHz, 10-100 m resolution and 30-350 km instantaneous coverage."}
- **entity type**: sensor
- **last verified date**: 2026-06-16
- **verified by**: agency-doc
- **claim status**: agency-sourced
- **provider**: invap
- **attributes**: {"kind":"sensor","product_status":"operational","deployment_context":"orbital","manufacturer":"invap","description":"Polarimetric L-band synthetic-aperture radar payload flown on SAOCOM-1A and SAOCOM-1B.","sensor":"{\"instrument_family\":\"sar\",\"measurement_principle\":\"active\",\"frequency_band\":\"L\",\"centre_frequency_mhz\":1275,\"polarisation_modes\":[\"HH\",\"HV\",\"VH\",\"VV\"],\"incidence_angle_range_deg\":[20,50],\"swath_km\":350,\"modes\":[{\"name\":\"SAOCOM stripmap/TOPSAR family\",\"resolution_range_m\":10,\"swath_km\":350,\"polarisation\":\"full-pol available\"}],\"notes\":\"CEOS and WMO identify SAR-L as the operational L-band SAR instrument on SAOCOM-1A; INVAP engineering material gives 1.275 GHz, 10-100 m resolution and 30-350 km instantaneous coverage.\"}"}
- **relevance**: in-scope

## Editorial
SAR-L is the L-band synthetic aperture radar instrument flown on SAOCOM-1A and SAOCOM-1B, using active microwave imaging for polarimetric SAR collection.[^wmo-sar-l-saocom][^invap-saocom-review][^ceos-saocom-1a] It operates at 1.275 GHz and supports HH, HV, VH and VV polarisation modes across a 20 to 50 degree incidence-angle range.[^wmo-sar-l-saocom] Its mode set includes high-resolution A, high-resolution B, medium-resolution and ScanSAR wide-swath operation.[^wmo-sar-l-saocom] Mode-dependent resolution spans 10 to 100 m, mode swath covers 30 to 320 km, and engineering context gives up to 350 km instantaneous coverage.[^wmo-sar-l-saocom][^invap-saocom-review] SAR backscatter, InSAR surface deformation and polarimetric SAR decomposition are demonstrated through SAOCOM-1A.[^wmo-sar-l-saocom] Utilization is recorded from 2019 to 2031 across the SAOCOM programme.[^wmo-sar-l-saocom]

## Compositional position
- saocom-1a (missions) --[mission_payloads]--> SAR-L (SAOCOM L-band SAR)

## Sources
- [wmo-sar-l-saocom] | SAR-L instrument record, WMO OSCAR | https://space.oscar.wmo.int/instruments/view/sar_l | tier=third-party | accessed=2026-06-16
- [invap-saocom-review] | Successful review of the SAOCOM mission, INVAP | https://www.invap.com.ar/en/successful-review-of-the-saocom-mission/ | tier=operator-engineering | accessed=2026-06-16
- [ceos-saocom-1a] | CEOS MIM SAOCOM 1A mission summary | https://database.eohandbook.com/database/missionsummary.aspx?missionID=405 | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-16

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