Proposed Demonstration of GNSS Surface Reflections on DESDynI

The omnipresent GNSS signals can be used as a radio source for Earth remote sensing. The ongoing SAC-C, Champ, GRACE, and Cosmic occultation missions, which map the Earth’s atmosphere, are examples. This paper describes the expected results from a demonstration surface-reflections instrument on the DESDynI satellite. Sea-surface height and roughness, ice height and roughness, and soil moisture are potential measurements. These measurements would take advantage of the existing GPS instrumentation and 15 m diameter radar antenna already onboard. Simulated results will be presented.