Space-borne Tsunami Warning System
- Paper number
IAC-07-B1.6.09
- Author
Mr. Peter Brouwer, Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), The Netherlands
- Year
2007
- Abstract
The aim of the report is the demonstration of the feasibility of a Space-borne Tsunami Warning System (STWS) making use of radar altimetry with GNSS-Reflections (GNSS-R), a demonstrator satellite is designed to prove this. For the complete warning system aimed is at a tsunami detection time of 30 minutes. Near global coverage is provided by a 60:40/12/2 Walker constellation of 40 small satellites. It will make use of inter satellite communication in order to minimize the time between the acquisition of the observation data by the satellite and delivery at the ground station. This inter satellite communication data link will have a bandwidth of 720 kbps. Appropriate warning methods are then activated. To set up the global constellation of a GNSS-R based satellite constellation, tests have to be performed using a demonstrator satellite. The primary goal of the satellite mission is demonstrate the feasibility of GNSS-R based sea level height measurements to be able to detect Tsunamis. In order to fulfil the above-mentioned goal, the demonstrator satellite has to test the GNSS-R phased array. The demonstrator satellite will be approximately 50 kg, use 100 Watt and cost around EUR.7 million at an altitude of 650 km. The demonstrator satellite will be launched in a piggyback configuration. Finally cost estimation is done, which is compared to the existing DART buoys system, a local Tsunami warning system using pressure measurements on the bottom of the ocean for wave measurements. If the DART buoys system would provide global coverage, the total cost over a period of twenty years is EUR.365 million. The GNSS-R based satellite constellation will be slightly more expensive and is estimated at EUR.410 million. The main problem encountered during the design is that the phased array antenna with digital beam steering has not been developed yet. All the data for the subsystems are approximations, based on literature information, partly from articles and from company product specifications. It is concluded that the STWS can be a feasible system to replace the DART buoys system, if the mass of each satellite can be reduced significantly with respect to the demonstrator satellite. The demonstrator satellite is slightly over dimensioned, to get acquainted with space-borne GNSS-R technology. The demonstrator satellite will provide valuable information for the final design of the STWS satellites. This new information is expected to result in a system that is less expensive than the preliminary cost estimations.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-07-B1.6.09.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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