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The synthetic aperture radar (SAR) aboard the European Remote Sensing
satellites ERS-1 and ERS-2, which were launched in 1991 and 1995,
respectively, provides images of the earth surface with a resolution
of 25 m. In the so called "image mode" the SAR images are taken
along a 100 km wide swath to the right of the satellite
track. The SARs aboard the two satellites have identical design. They
operate at a frequency of 5.3 GHz, transmit and receive the radar
signal at vertical polarisation (VV polarisation) and view the
earth surface under an incidence angle centered around
23 degrees. Because of the high data rate of 105 Mbit/s no
on-board storage is possible, and thus SAR images can only be acquired within
the reception zones of suitably equipped ground stations. For details
about the ERS satellites and the ERS SAR the reader is referred to the ESA ERS webpage
http://earth.esa.int/ers/.
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