Projects

New Space: RF front-end for the Flexible Microwave Payload-2

Balamis – Microwave Sensors and Electronics develops the RF frond-end for the Flexible Microwave PayLoad-2 (FMPL-2), the main payload of 3Cat-5/A satellite. FMPL-2 is a novel payload based on a software defined radio acting as L-band radiometer and GNSS-Reflectometer.

The RF front-end will be used on-board the Technical University of Catalonia FSSCat nanosatellite mission. FSSCat is an innovative mission consisting of two 6U CubeSats (3Cat-5/A and 3Cat-5/B) embarking a suite of RF and optical scientific and technology demonstrator payloads, enhanced with an Artificial Intelligence board (PhiSat-1) for Cloud Detection.

Once launched and operated in orbit, FSSCat mission has proven to be able to recover soil moisture and sea ice thickness using its combined L-band radiometer and GNSS-Reflectometer payloads.

RAW data of the measurements retrieved over the Arctic (credits: UPC – NanoSat Lab)

Related articles

Sea Ice Concentration and Sea Ice Extent Mapping with the Fsscat Mission: A Neural Network Approach
David Llaveria; Juan Francesc Munoz-Martin; Christoph Herbert; Miriam Pablos; Adriano Camps; Hyuk Park
IEEE International Symposium on Geoscience and Remote Sensing (IGARSS 2021)

Soil Moisture Estimation Synergy Using GNSS-R and L-Band Microwave Radiometry Data from FSSCat/FMPL-2
Joan Francesc Munoz-Martin, David Llaveria, Christoph Herbert, Miriam Pablos, Hyuk Park and Adriano Camps
MDPI Remote Sensing 2021

In-Orbit Validation of the FMPL-2 Instrument—The GNSS-R and L-Band Microwave Radiometer Payload of the FSSCat Mission
Joan Francesc Munoz-Martin, Lara Fernandez, Adrian Perez, Joan Adrià Ruiz-de-Azua, Hyuk Park, Adriano Camps, Bernardo Carnicero Domínguez and Massimiliano Pastena.
MDPI Remote Sensing 2021