In recent years, passive reflectors have emerged as highly valuable tools for monitoring key parameters of today’s nadir radar altimeters. Thanks to their simple design and proven performance – comparable to that of active transponders when processed with FFSAR techniques – they have attracted growing interest within the altimetry community.
Corner reflectors consist of three metal plates arranged orthogonally that reflect the altimeter waves without the intervention of any electronic device. When combined with a GNSS station that indicates the exact position of the corner, it is possible to check whether the estimations of the Earth surface made by the sensor are accurate.
isardSAT has designed, implemented and validated two calibration sites consisting of a corner reflector and a GNSS station, that are currently calibrating Sentinel-3 and Sentinel-6 satellites.