Abstract
The feasibility of an effective two-year-minimum operational Windsat lidar mission using a CO2 TEA laser and heterodyne detection on board a (free-flying) modified Advanced Tiros-N (ATN) meteorological satellite is described. The lidar instrument design employed results from the lightweighting of previous designs through the use of current technology and from some projected laser-engineering development. The Windsat system design and mission requirements are described, and the ATN reconfiguration and subsystem modifications are detailed. The weight (without propellant) and the operational power load of the integrated spacecraft are estimated at 1182 kg and 760–790 W, respectively.
© 1984 Optical Society of America
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