Satellites and Probes

CryoSat2 Ice Surveyor Satellite

Cryosat orbiting the earth. Picture: ESA
The CryoSat-2 satellite is expected to provide answers about climatic change

The European Space Agency (ESA) is building the CryoSat-2 satellite to survey glaciers and sea ice coverage. The aim of CryoSat-2 is to detect the thickness of the ice layer covering the earth's surface and oceans, monitor changes in it, and thus help explain the connections between climatic changes, meltdown of polar glaciers, and sea level rise.

The first CryoSat crashed into the sea shortly after it was launched on October 8, 2005. It failed to detach from its carrier, whose rocket engine did not stop functioning as planned, probably due to a programming error. The information this satellite should have collected was to provide a more reliable concept of the speed and extension of climatic change.

In February 2005, a decision to build a new, similar satellite was made. The information offered by CryoSat-2 is expected to provide a significantly more accurate image of the speed and extension of climatic change.

According to the new plan, CryoSat-2 should be launched in March 2009. The flight will last at least three years. During this time, the satellite will measure changes in the thickness of glaciers and sea ice to within centimeter accuracy. The satellite will revolve around the Earth on an extremely slanted orbit so that it will be able to monitor nearly the entire surface of the Earth.

CryoSat-2 is equivalent to the original CryoSat. The Finnish industry and scientific community have been involved in the research and development work for CryoSat:

  • Patria Advanced Solutions provided the power distribution modules for the satellite's power control and distribution unit modules.

  • The Helsinki University of Technology contributed to the modeling of the measurements provided by the satellite and the development of measuring methods.

  • The Meteorological Institute was meant to apply CryoSat's measurement results to earlier research results. The aim was to prove connections between climatic changes and changes in the thickness of ice.

  • The Marine Research Institute was supposed to coordinate international field tests performed in the Baltic Sea area, with the aim of ensuring the accuracy of CryoSat's measuring functions.


For more information, visit ESA's CryoSat pages.