Satellites orbiting Mars need to be accurately positioned, both in terms of their orbit and their location over the Martian surface. It’s also important to measure the elevation of the Martian terrain, to measure its physical parameters and to be able to map Martian surface. One of the key instruments for this purpose are radar altimeters, which measure the height of the surface below the satellite. Radar altimeters are already being used on Earth to map different types of surfaces, such as oceans, land, glaciers, and icecaps, and Earth’s gravitational field (the geoid).
Just like on Earth, Radar Altimeters are excellent candidates to map Mars’ surface, and as on Earth, Mars Observation instruments orbiting Mars also need to be calibrated to ensure accurate measurements.This project aims to use the most advanced radar techniques to calibrate Earth-orbiting satellites like the Sentinel-3 A&B, to measure Earth’s surface elevation or, equivalently, Mars surface elevation. We will install a calibration site at the MDRS, that includes a Corner Reflector and a GNSS station.
