CoAuthors

Tommaso Parrinello (European Space Agency, ESRIN, Italy); Antonis Daskalakis (Space Geomatica Ltd., Greece); Constantin Mavrocordatos (European Space Agency, ESTEC, The Netherlands); Marco Fornari (European Space Agency, ESTEC, The Netherlands); Pierre Féménias (European Space Agency, ESRIN, Italy)

This work will present the successful responses given by the transponder, in 2013 and 2014, with the Cryosat-2 satellite, as well as the first calibration results, even when the satellite was flying 7 km off the transponder location. At present, the microwave transponder has been deployed at a location, within the Technical University of Crete campus, for testing and evaluation using the Cryosat-2 satellite. The final deployment of the transponder in 2014 will be on a new site, called "CDN1", and which is located in West Crete, Greece. This altimeter calibration ground site lies on a triple cross-over point for the orbits of Jason (No.18), Sentinel-3A(No.71) & Sentinel-3B(No.364), but it is also adjacent (about 2.5 km) to the SARAL/AltiKa (No.100) satellite. The CDN1 location and its surroundings have already been tested with Jason-2 signals. Finally, a report will be given on the preparatory steps already taken, and the procedures followed for the establishment, in 2014, of this permanent altimeter calibration site for Sentinel-3, using the developed transponder.