Grouping Small Spacecraft for Global Meteorological Observations Using a Microwave Radiometer–Spectrometer

The current state of microwave radiometry for remote sensing of the Earth is considered. There are currently some 30 satellite microwave radiometers operating and supplying data in the world, while Russia has only one microwave radiometer (MTVZA-GYa) with a 65° sounding angle. We propose to create a constellation of small spacecraft for global meteorological observations on the basis of the MIRS microwave radiometer, which is being developed for the Konvergentsiya space experiment on the Russian Segment of the International Space Station. Optimal parameters for satellite data of the microwave space system are a spatial resolution of 10–12 km and a temporal resolution of 3–6 h for analyzing current atmospheric processes, improving the quality of weather forecast, and predicting emergency situations. This problem can be solved if there are 4 to 8 simultaneous satellites with onboard radiometers in a single orbit of the Earth.