CIMR
Copernicus Imaging Microwave Radiometer
Mission Overview
CIMR is designed to monitor global change with a focus on the polar regions. Data from this new mission will support the implementation of solutions for a sustainable Arctic and help combat the effects of climate change worldwide.
CIMR is the result of close collaboration between ESA, the European Commission, European space industry, service providers and data users.
Each CIMR satellite carries a conically scanning microwave radiometer operating in five frequency bands (L, C, X, K and Ka) with an extremely wide swath width of >1900 km. The mission provides high-resolution observations of sea-surface temperature (15 km spatial resolution), sea-ice concentration (5 km spatial resolution) and sea-surface salinity, while also measuring soil moisture, wind speed and snow extent. Current expectations limit the number of satellites in the mission to three, allowing for continuous day-and-night monitoring, while flying in convoy with MetOp 5G satellite B. CIMR is expected to follow quasi-polar, sun-synchronous orbits providing sub-daily revisit over polar regions. CIMR-A is anticipated to be launched in 2029, and CIMR-B about six years later.
Key Application Areas
Technical Documents & References
