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Step-by-step Description

1- RADARSAT-2 release from Launch Vehicle
RADARSAT-2 will be launched on a Boeing Delta-2 launch vehicle and will be placed in a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of approximately 800 km.

2- Stabilisation:
This stage will start automatically upon detection of the spacecraft separation from the launch vehicle. Spacecraft initialisation consists of switching on sensors: GPS, Magnetometer, Gyro and Sun Sensor. At launcher release, the spacecraft will autonomously recognise its angular rate, damp it and acquire controlled attitude. Upon success of de-spin and first sun acquisition, RADARSAT-2 will start to acquire a coarse stable 3-axes attitude. This process should take 2-3 orbits.

3- Solar Arrays deployment
Following the stabilisation of the spacecraft, the Solar Arrays will be deployed by ground command. The Solar Arrays can be deployed one at a time or simultaneously. The deployment will not exceed 2 minutes for each wing.

4- Antenna tie-downs release and SAR antenna deployment
The antenna tie-downs will be released automatically or by ground command. The Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) antenna will then be deployed by ground command. The SAR wings can be released one at a time or simultaneously and the deployment should not exceed 5 minutes for each wing.

Deployment State is completed at this point and RADARSAT-2 is ready to move in Mission State.

5- Imaging state
RADARSAT-2 will be able to switch from right- to left-looking mode. This process will take about 10 minutes. About 75% of imaging will be performed in right-looking: the left-looking mode will be used for Antarctic mapping, emergency situations and to improve market access.

Several imaging modes are available with RADARSAT-2 (incidence angles, resolution and polarization). A single image take may vary from a minimum of 5 seconds to a maximum of 28 minutes.