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The Launch of RADARSAT-1
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At 9:22 a.m. Eastern time on November 4, 1995, RADARSAT-1 was
successfully launch and deployed on its orbit. With
such an accurate launch, little on-board fuel was required to attain the proper
positioning of the satellite, and the spacecraft
kept a larger reserve of fuel than expected.
The launch took place at the Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, USA. NASA
provided the launch and launch vehicle, a Delta II rocket, in exchange for
RADARSAT-1 data.
Click the rocket for a Quicktime movie of the launch
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RADARSAT-1 First Image
Cape Breton Image - Orbit 348 - Standard Beam Mode 1 - November 28, 1995
The image is of a portion of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia,
Canada, and is centred at latitude 46°27'05" N>
and longitude 60°18'50" W. Cape Breton is one of the oldest
settled areas in Canada.
Geological and land use patterns are
visible as well as wind and
current patterns in lakes and the surrounding oceans. You
can see several
ships and their wakes as well as the city of Sydney.
Image Parameters
This image was obtained viewing the island from the west (left side)
on the first ascending pass after the payload was turned on.
Each image pixel represents a surface of 12.5 by 12.5 metres
square (image resolution is nominally 25 metres). The image
covers an area of 132 by 127 kilometres.
Weather
A strong front was passing over the island at the time that the
image was obtained (17:41 local time). There is visible
evidence of strong winds (14 to 29 knots) from the southwest,
particularly the strong turbulence in the sea to the west of
the high hills at the northern tip of the island. Winds are
from the south in the eastern and mid-portion of the image. At
the time the image was acquired, it was dark and raining in Sydney.
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