Flann Microwave assists with NASA’s SWOT satellite development … – SatNews

January 2, 2023

*Artistic rendition of the SWOT satellite on-orbit.*

In 2015, Flann Microwave was selected by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to provide critical hardware for the high-resolution radar components on a new multinational satellite, that being the SWOT satellite.

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite is the first-of-its-kind to survey the surface water on Earth, observe ocean surface topography and measure the changes in these bodies of water over time.

This illustration depicts the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite, a mission led by NASA and the French space agency Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES). The scientific heart of the SWOT satellite is the Ka-band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn) instrument, which will measure the height of water in Earth’s lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and ocean. To do that, KaRIn will transmit radar pulses to Earth’s surface and use two antennas – seen to the left and right of the spacecraft bus – to triangulate the return signals that bounce back. Mounted at the ends of a boom 33 feet (10 meters) long, the antennas will collect data over two swaths of Earth’s surface at a time, each of them 30 miles (50 kilometers) wide and located on either side of the satellite.

Launched on December 16, 2022, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the SWOT satellite was jointly developed and managed by NASA, the French Space Agency, the Canadian Space Agency, and the UK Space Agency.

Following JPL’s previous adoption of Flann Microwave’s high-precision test and measurement product range, the SWOT is the first collaborative spaceflight project between Flann and NASA. Due to the critical performance requirements of the project, Flann worked in close collaboration with the engineers at JPL to develop custom-made waveguide equipment for spaceflight operations.

Flann’s innovative waveguide equipment was designed to withstand the rigors of spaceflight and help provide higher accuracy and precision measurements of Earth’s lakes, rivers, reservoirs and oceans, as well as mapping ocean surface height, in greater detail than previous measurement systems.

Flann’s uniquely-designed microwave components were installed on the satellite and linked to NASA’s high-resolution, state-of-the-art, radar interferometry systems to help accurately measure Earth’s surface water, weather and climate predictions as well as assist in freshwater management.

Tamlin Pavelsky, the SWOT Science Team Lead (2022-2024), said, “SWOT will usher in a new golden age for the science of rivers and lakes. Right now, we can measure how the amount of water in lakes and reserviors changes for a few thousand lakes worldwide. With SWOT, we’ll be able to observe millions, […] help[ing] us to understand changing risks from flooding, opportunities for sustainable water use, and the fundamental natures of these important natural systems.”

Sam Brokenshire, Technical Sales Manager at Flann Microwave, said, “The space market is currently growing exponentially. At this moment in time, the space market for Flann accounts for less than 5% of current projects […] but we could be seeing this value increase significantly over just the next few years.”

Since 1956, Flann Microwave has been a market-leading designer and manufacturer of precision microwave components, test and measurement products, and communications equipment. Based in Cornwall, UK, Flann’s purpose-built factory has been instrumental in successfully designing and implementing a range of high-quality waveguide solutions for flight hardware. Flann’s reputation, quality, reliability, and performance of its products has recently made it a growing part of the international space industry.