---
aliases:
  - context: missionID
    lexicon: ceos
    term: 378
    url: http://database.eohandbook.com/database/missionsummary.aspx?missionID=378
  - context: Mission
    lexicon: ceos
    term: CryoSat
    url: http://database.eohandbook.com/database/missionindex.aspx#C
  - context: resource
    lexicon: dbpedia
    term: CryoSat-1
    url: http://wikipedia.org/wiki/CryoSat-1
cited_by: []
contributors:
  - display_name: 'Contributor : European Space Agency '
    href: http://52.38.26.42:8080/contributor/3736.yaml
    id: 3736
    organization:
      country_code: ~
      display_name: European Space Agency
      identifier: european-space-agency
      name: European Space Agency
      organization_type_identifier: intergovernmental
      type: organization
      url: http://www.esa.int/
    organization_uri: /organization/european-space-agency
    person: {}
    person_id: ~
    person_uri: ~
    role_type_identifier: contributor
    uri: /contributor/3736
description: "CryoSat is the first Earth Explorer Opportunity Mission in ESA's Living Planet Program; it is a next-generation radar altimetry mission dedicated to observations of the polar regions. The science objectives are to determine variations in the thickness of Arctic sea ice and elevation changes of ice sheets, ice caps and glaciers that ring the Arctic Ocean (continental ice sheets). Sea ice plays a central role in Arctic climate. The CryoSat mission is to further knowledge of the wider role of the Earth's cryosphere and its effect on the sea level. The CryoSat mission was proposed by Duncan Wingham of the University College London (UCL) and an international science team. Duncan Wingham is also the mission PI. A nominal mission duration of three years is planned (excluding the commissioning and validation phases, which may last up to six months)."
description_attribution: https://directory.eoportal.org/web/eoportal/satellite-missions/c-missions/cryosat
display_name: cryosat-earth-explorer-opportunity-mission
end_date: 2005-10-08T00:00:00
files:
  - display_name: image_gallery.jpg
    file: 2c/0c/4b3c5e29d24df0436fcd62549893/image_gallery.jpg
    href: http://data.globalchange.gov/assets/2c/0c/4b3c5e29d24df0436fcd62549893/image_gallery.jpg
    identifier: a4574557-0640-47a5-993b-e7bbcf79f3cd
    landing_page: https://directory.eoportal.org/web/eoportal/satellite-missions/c-missions/cryosat
    location: ~
    mime_type: image/jpeg
    sha1: f8ad47c3f4f3f6ee243d453f47270d7967e7ed30
    size: 21705
    thumbnail: 2c/0c/4b3c5e29d24df0436fcd62549893/.thumb-a4574557-0640-47a5-993b-e7bbcf79f3cd.png
    thumbnail_href: http://data.globalchange.gov/assets/2c/0c/4b3c5e29d24df0436fcd62549893/.thumb-a4574557-0640-47a5-993b-e7bbcf79f3cd.png
    type: file
    uri: /file/a4574557-0640-47a5-993b-e7bbcf79f3cd
    url: http://data.globalchange.gov/assets/2c/0c/4b3c5e29d24df0436fcd62549893/image_gallery.jpg
href: http://52.38.26.42:8080/platform/cryosat-earth-explorer-opportunity-mission.yaml
identifier: cryosat-earth-explorer-opportunity-mission
instruments:
  - description: Laser retroreflector
    description_attribution: Laser retroreflector
    identifier: laser-reflectors-2
    name: Laser Reflectors
    uri: /instrument/laser-reflectors-2
  - description: Radar altimeter
    description_attribution: Radar altimeter
    identifier: sar-interferometer-radar-altimeter
    name: SAR Interferometer Radar Altimeter
    uri: /instrument/sar-interferometer-radar-altimeter
  - description: Radio-positioning system
    description_attribution: Radio-positioning system
    identifier: doris-ng
    name: Doppler Orbitography and Radio-positioning Integrated by Satellite-NG
    uri: /instrument/doris-ng
name: CryoSat (Earth Explorer Opportunity Mission)
parents: []
platform_type_identifier: spacecraft
references: []
start_date: 2005-10-08T00:00:00
type: platform
uri: /platform/cryosat-earth-explorer-opportunity-mission
url: http://www.esa.int/export/esaLP/cryosat.html