ABSTRACT
Since the beginning of the space race in the 1950s, scientists have been designing instruments to monitor and measure our planet’s environment. In 1958, the first U.S. satellite, Explorer 1, measured the cosmic radiation zones surrounding Earth, which were later named the Van Allen belts after the scientist who designed the experiment. This launch, and the discovery of Van Allen belts helped start the era of satellite monitoring of Earth that continues to today. As technology has advanced, the capabilities of the sensors in satellites has increased dramatically to include measuring weather patterns, the concentration of pollutants, ice pack thickness and crop yields.
This white paper explores different payload instruments used aboard satellites for radar and optical imaging, and how those instruments are constructed using innovative semiconductors.
