European Remote-Sensing Satellite

European Space Agency Earth-observing satellite program

This article is about the European satellite program. For the 1960s United States Air Force satellite program also abbreviated ERS, see Environmental Research Satellite § TRS_Mk._1.

A full-size model of ERS-2.

European Remote Sensing satellite (ERS) was the European Space Agency's first Earth-observing satellite programme using a polar orbit. It consisted of two satellites, ERS-1 and ERS-2, with ERS-1 being launched in 1991.

## ERS-1

[edit]

ERS-1

Mission type| Earth observatrion
COSPAR ID| 1991-050A
End of mission
Declared| 10 March 2000

ERS-1 launched 17 July 1991 from Guiana Space Centre aboard an Ariane 4 rocket.[1] The satellite was put into a Sun-synchronous polar orbit at an altitude of 782-785 km. ERS-1 failed on 10 March 2000 after nine years in orbit.[2]

### Instruments

[edit]

ERS-1 carried an array of Earth-observation instruments that gathered information about the Earth (land, water, ice, and atmosphere) using a variety of measurement principles. These included:

* RA (Radar Altimeter) is a single frequency nadir-pointing radar altimeter operating in the Ku band.
* ATSR-1 (Along-Track Scanning Radiometer) is a 4 channel infrared radiometer and microwave sounder for measuring temperatures at the sea-surface and the top of clouds.
* SAR (synthetic-aperture radar) operating in C band can detect changes in surface heights with sub-millimeter precision.
* Wind Scatterometer used to calculate information on wind speed and direction.
* MWR is a Microwave Radiometer used in measuring atmospheric water, as well as providing a correction for the atmospheric water for the altimeter.

To accurately determine its orbit, the satellite included the PRARE (Precision Range and Range-Rate Equipment) and a laser retroreflector. The PRARE became non-operational shortly after launch; later analysis concluded that the failure was due to a memory latchup caused by radiation.[3] The retroreflector was used for calibrating the  radar altimeter to within 10 cm.

### Mission

[edit]

ERS-1 had various mission phases using 3-day and 35-day repeat cycles. During the geodetic mission, ERS-1 was put in two long repeat cycles of 168 days, which is equivalent to a single 336-day cycle. The geodetic mission allowed for accurate mapping of the Earth's bathymetry and geoid over the seas using the Radar Altimeter.

On 10 March 2000, ERS-1's attitude control system failed due to a gyroscope malfunction and its mission was officially declared finished.[3]

## ERS-2

[edit]

ERS-2

Mission type| Earth observatrion
COSPAR ID| 1995-021A
End of mission
Deactivated| 5 September 2011
Decay date| 21 February 2024
Orbital parameters
Altitude| 780 km (480 mi)[4]
Inclination| 98.5°[4]

Its successor, ERS-2, was launched on 21 April 1995, on an Ariane 4, from ESA's Guiana Space Centre near Kourou, French Guiana.[5] Largely identical to ERS-1, it added additional instruments and improved existing instruments including:

* GOME (Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment) is a nadir scanning ultraviolet and visible spectrometer.
* ATSR-2 included 3 visible spectrum bands specialized for chlorophyll and vegetation

When ERS-2 was launched, ERS-1 shared the same orbital plane. This allowed a tandem mission, with ERS-2 passing the same point on the ground 1 day later than ERS-1. ERS-2 has a repeat cycle of 35 days.[4]

ERS-2 operated without gyroscopes from February 2001, resulting in some degradation of the data provided by the instruments. The tape drive aboard failed on 22 June 2003, leaving the instruments operating only within visibility of a ground station. After the tape drive failure additional ground stations were brought online to increase the data gathering abilities of the satellite. The Wind Scatterometer and GOME were the only instruments of their kind until the launches of MetOp-A and Envisat, respectively.

The successor to ERS-2 was the Envisat satellite, launched 1 March 2002. Envisat contained improved versions of many of the instruments onboard ERS-2. However, even after the launch of its successor, the operational life of ERS-2 was extended until 2011, when the decision was made to end the mission. Over a series of burns in July, August and September, ERS-2 was finally depleted of all fuel on 5 September 2011. At 13:16:38 the batteries were switched off and the satellite decommissioned. The spacecraft was left in an orbit where it will reenter the Earth's atmosphere and safely disintegrate within 25 years, in accordance with international standards.[6]

In the final stages of emptying the fuel tanks, it was estimated that they would be empty after a 40-minute burn on 2 September 2011. However, the spacecraft survived both this manoeuvre and a second 40-minute burn on 3 September. On 5 September a third burn was initiated. The fuel tanks were finally drained, and the spacecraft orbit was lowered from 785 to 573 km above Earth.[7]

In February 2024, ESA reported that ERS-2 was expected to reenter in an uncontrolled fashion, some time between 16 February and 22 February 2024.[8]

The satellite reentered at 1717 UTC on 21 February, in the Pacific Ocean between Alaska and Hawaii.[9][10]

## See also

[edit]

* Spaceflight portal

* 1991 in spaceflight
* 1995 in spaceflight

## Notes

[edit]

* Zhao, D.; Kuenzer, C.; Fu, C.; Wagner, W. (2008). "Evaluation of the ERS Scatterometer derived Soil Water Index to monitor water availability and precipitation distribution at three different scales in China". Journal of Hydrometeorology. 9 (3). AMS: 549–562\. Bibcode:2008JHyMe...9..549Z. doi:10.1175/2007JHM965.1.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Krebs, Gunter (2020). "ERS 1, 2". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
2. ^ "ERS - Earth Online". earth.esa.int. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
3. ^ a b "ERS-1 (European Remote-Sensing Satellite-1)". eoPortal. ESA. 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
4. ^ a b c "ERS-2 (European Remote-Sensing Satellite-2)". eoPortal. ESA. 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
5. ^ "ESA - ERS-2". Enabling and Support. ESA. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
6. ^ ESA. "Flight Dynamics". Retrieved 16 September 2016.
7. ^ Turner, Ben (22 February 2024). "5,000-pound European satellite burns up over Pacific Ocean after 30 years in orbit". Live Science.
8. ^ ESA. "ERS-2 Reentry". Retrieved 18 February 2024.
9. ^ Cuthbertson, Anthony (21 February 2024). "Satellite crash – live: Out-of-control ERS-2 heading for Earth". The Independent. Retrieved 21 February 2024. "The European Space Agency has finally confirmed that the two-tonne satellite reentered the Earth's atmosphere somewhere between Alaska and Hawaii."
10. ^ Dunn, Marcia (22 February 2024). "Old European satellite plunges harmlessly through the atmosphere over the Pacific". Associated Press News.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to European Remote-Sensing Satellite.

* ERS homepage at ESA
* Next ESA SAR Toolbox Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine for viewing, calibrating and analyzing ERS 1 & 2 SAR Level 1 data and higher

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European Space Agency

| Space Centres|

* Guiana
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Launch vehicles|

* Ariane 6
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Facilities|

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Predecessors|

* European Launcher Development Organisation
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Related topics|

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Projects and missions

Science|

Astronomy and
cosmology

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|

Earth observation|

* Meteosat First Generation (1977–1997)
* ERS-1 (1991–2000)
* ERS-2 (1995–2011)
* Meteosat Second Generation (2002–present)
* Envisat (2002–2012)
* Double Star (2003–2007)
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* MetOp-SG-A (2025)
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* SMILE (2025)
* ALTIUS (2026)
* FLEX (2026)
* FORUM (2027)

Planetary science|

* Giotto (1985–1992)
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Solar physics|

* ISEE-2 (1977–1987)
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ISS contributions|

* Columbus (2008–present)
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Telecommunications|

* GEOS 2 (1978)
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Technology
demonstrators

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Cancelled
and proposed|

* AIDA
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Failed|

* Cluster
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Future missions in italics

* Category
* Commons
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* v
* t
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← 1990

Orbital launches in 1991

1992 →

January|

* NATO 4A
* Progress M-6
* Italsat 1, Eutelsat-2 F2
* Kosmos 2121
* Kosmos 2122
* Informator No.1

February|

* Kosmos 2123
* Kosmos 2124
* Kosmos 2125, Kosmos 2126, Kosmos 2127, Kosmos 2128, Kosmos 2129, Kosmos 2130, Kosmos 2131, Kosmos 2132
* Kosmos 2133
* Kosmos 2134
* Molniya 1-80
* Kosmos 2135
* Gran' No.38L

March|

* Astra 1B, Meteosat 5
* Kosmos 2136
* USA-69
* Inmarsat-2 F2
* Nadezhda No.409
* Progress M-7
* Kosmos 2137
* Molniya-3 No.55
* Kosmos 2138
* Almaz 1

April|

* Kosmos 2139, Kosmos 2140, Kosmos 2141
* Anik E2
* STS-37 (Compton GRO)
* ASC-2
* Kosmos 2142
* BS-3h
* Meteor-3 No.6
* STS-39 (IBSS/SPAS (CRO-A, CRO-B, CRO-C), USA-70)

May|

* NOAA-12
* Kosmos 2143, Kosmos 2144, Kosmos 2145, Kosmos 2146, Kosmos 2147, Kosmos 2148
* Soyuz TM-12
* Resurs-F2 No.6
* Kosmos 2149
* Satcom C5
* Progress M-8

June|

* Okean-O1 No.6
* STS-40
* Kosmos 2150
* Kosmos 2151
* Molniya 1-81
* Unnamed
* Resurs-F1 No.52
* REX

July|

* Gorizont No.34L
* USA-71, Losat-X
* Kosmos 2152
* Kosmos 2153
* ERS-1, Orbcomm-X, SARA , Tubsat-A, UoSAT-5
* Microsat 1, Microsat 2, Microsat 3, Microsat 4, Microsat 5, Microsat 6, Microsat 7
* Resurs-F1 No.53

August|

* Molniya 1-82
* STS-43 (TDRS-5)
* Intelsat VI F5
* Meteor-3 No.5
* Progress M-9
* Resurs-F2 No.7
* Kosmos 2154
* Yuri 3b
* IRS-1B
* Yohkoh
* Unnamed

September|

* STS-48 (UARS)
* Kosmos 2155
* Molniya-3 No.48
* Kosmos 2156
* Anik E1
* Kosmos 2157, Kosmos 2158, Kosmos 2159, Kosmos 2160, Kosmos 2161, Kosmos 2162

October|

* Soyuz TM-13
* Foton No.7L
* Kosmos 2163
* Kosmos 2164
* Progress M-10
* Gorizont No.35L
* Intelsat VI F1

November|

* USA-72, USA-74, USA-76, USA-77
* Kosmos 2165, Kosmos 2166, Kosmos 2167, Kosmos 2168, Kosmos 2169, Kosmos 2170
* Kosmos 2171
* Kosmos 2172
* STS-44 (USA-75)
* Kosmos 2173
* USA-73

December|

* Eutelsat-2 F3
* Telecom 2A, Inmarsat-2 F3
* Kosmos 2174
* Interkosmos 25, Magion 3
* Gran' No.39L
* Zhongxing-4

Launches are separated by dots ( • ), payloads by commas ( , ), multiple names for the same satellite by slashes ( / ).
Crewed flights are underlined. Launch failures are marked with the † sign. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are (enclosed in parentheses).

* v
* t
* e

← 1994

Orbital launches in 1995

1996 →

January|

* Intelsat 704
* Express 1
* Tsikada 1, Faisat 1, Astrid 1
* Apstar 2
* USA-108

February|

* STS-63 (SPARTAN-204, ODERACS 2A, ODERACS 2B, ODERACS 2C, ODERACS 2D, ODERACS 2E, ODERACS 2F
* Progress M-26
* Foton #10

March|

* STS-67
* Kosmos 2306
* Kosmos 2307, Kosmos 2308, Kosmos 2309
* Soyuz TM-21
* SFU, Himawari 5
* Kosmos 2310
* Intelsat 705
* Kosmos 2311
* USA-109
* Gurwin 1, EKA-2, UNAMSAT-A
* Brasilsat B2, Hot Bird 1

April|

* Orbcomm FM1, Orbcomm FM2, OrbView-1
* Ofek-3
* AMSC-1
* Progress M-27
* ERS-2

May|

* USA-110
* Intelsat 706
* Spektr
* GOES 9
* Kosmos 2312
* USA-111

June|

* Kosmos 2313
* DirecTV-3
* STEP-3
* STS-71
* Kosmos 2314

July|

* Kosmos 2315
* Helios 1A, Cerise, UPMSat
* USA-112
* STS-70 (TDRS-7)
* Progress M-28
* Kosmos 2316, Kosmos 2317, Kosmos 2318
* USA-113

August|

* Interbol 1, Maigon 4
* PAS-4
* Koreasat 1
* Molniya 3-59
* GEMStar 1
* JCSAT-3
* N-STAR a
* Kosmos 2319
* Sich-1, FASat-Alfa

September|

* Soyuz TM-22
* STS-69 (SPARTAN-201, WSF)
* Telstar 402R
* Resurs-F2 #10
* Kosmos 2320

October|

* Kosmos 2321
* Progress M-29
* Luch-1
* Astra 1E
* STS-73
* USA-114
* METEOR
* Kosmos 2322

November|

* Radarsat-1, SURFSAT
* USA-115
* STS-74 (SO)
* ISO
* Gals 2
* AsiaSat 2

December|

* SOHO
* USA-116
* Télécom 2C, INSAT-2C
* Kosmos 2323, Kosmos 2324, Kosmos 2325
* Galaxy 3R
* Progress M-30
* Kosmos 2326
* IRS-1C, Skipper
* EchoStar I
* RXTE

Launches are separated by dots ( • ), payloads by commas ( , ), multiple names for the same satellite by slashes ( / ).
Crewed flights are underlined. Launch failures are marked with the † sign. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are (enclosed in parentheses).
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