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optcs t1_ivjvd9l wrote

I'm looking forward to watching the launch Dec 5 at Vandenberg.
Will the orbit be sun synchronous? Thinking maybe not if this uses radar only. How frequently will the surface be sampled? spatial and height resolution?

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nasa t1_ivkzt6v wrote

We discussed SWOT's orbit a bit in this answer upthread.

SWOT provides continuous global measurements of the Earth's water bodies. The ocean circulation will be determined from the ocean height measurements at spatial resolutions of 15 km for 68% of the ocean.

Lakes, reservoirs and wetlands whose surface area exceeds (250m)^2 will be measured with a height accuracy better than 25 cm, and rivers whose width exceeds 100m will be measured with a height accuracy of 10 cm for 10 km sections of the river at a time. (EP)

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