ROSE-L

Mission Overview

ROSE-L is an L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) mission that complements the C-band radar data from Copernicus Sentinel-1. The longer L-band wavelength (∼23 cm) allows radar signals to penetrate through vegetation canopies and into the upper soil layer, opening up new applications in forestry, agriculture and soil moisture monitoring that are not achievable with C-band alone. ROSE-L greatly improves the monitoring of European geohazards and surface motion, supports enhanced mapping for forest management and provides key information for food security. In addition, ROSE-L contributes to Arctic monitoring by providing new information on sea ice, icebergs, glaciers and ice caps, and improves maritime surveillance capabilities.

Key Application Areas

• Forest biomass and deforestation monitoring
• Crop-type mapping and agriculture
• Soil moisture retrieval
• Geohazard and ground subsidence monitoring

• Sea-ice, glacier and iceberg monitoring

   

Technical Documents & References

• ROSE-L Mission Requirements Document (v3.0, Feb 2025)
• ROSE-L on SentiWiki (Copernicus)
• ROSE-L on eoPortal
• Copernicus Sentinel Expansion missions
• ESA Scientific & Technical Mission Documents Library