MAGAL Constellation -- Using a Small Satellite Altimeter Constellation to Monitor Local and Regional Ocean and Inland Water Variations

TL;DR

MAGAL proposes a small satellite constellation with innovative radar altimeters and cloud-based data analysis to enhance ocean and inland water monitoring at various scales, aiming for cost-effective, high-density measurements.

Contribution

It introduces a new small, low-power altimeter payload and miniaturized satellite platform, along with a cloud-based data analysis system, to improve ocean monitoring capabilities.

Findings

Increased measurement density for ocean surface topography.

Enhanced data integration from multiple sources.

Cost-effective satellite constellation design.

Abstract

MAGAL lays the foundations for a future constellation of small satellites carrying radar altimeters aiming to improve the understanding of ocean circulation variability at local, regional, and global scales. All necessary tools will be developed, including a new small, low-power altimeter payload and a miniaturized satellite platform, grounded on the Space 4.0 industry, to be manufactured inseries, minimizing production, operational and launch costs. To implement a collaborative constellation, and better tackle the gaps of large radar altimeter programmes, MAGAL will use a Data Analysis Centre, based on cloud services, for storage and process of data, based on known and improved algorithms, including overlay of layers from multiple sources (e.g. meteorology and opensource data). As a constellation of six satellites, MAGAL increases the density of sea surface topography measurements, enabling more data for altimetry products, when used in synergy with other missions, in coastal areas and over mesoscale features. This results in scientific and commercial information aggregated into a single platform, displayed in various graphical interfaces, allowing overlaid correlations. MAGAL is aligned with the insights from the EU agenda for sustainable development, adding value, alongside the underlying technology development, bringing together the sea's economy and its sustainable growth.