ALMA Memo # 504

 The CloudSat Radar and Implications for ALMA

ALMA North American Technical Advisory Committee (ANATAC)
submitted by Darrel Emerson (NRAO)



  23/08/2004

Keywords: CloudSat, Satellite, Radar

Abstract

CloudSat is a downward-looking 94 GHz satellite-borne radar, due for launch in April 2005. The peak EIRP of the radar beam is some 4.10⁹ watts, which is sufficient to damage ALMA receivers on the ground if ALMA antennas and the orbiting radar ever look directly at each other.  Although the likelihood of this happening is very small, ALMA does need to take some operational precautions to avoid receiver damage, and to flag data that will be contaminated by radar interference.