CRYOSAT

retired

Science ExplorationsuborbitalCOSPAR 2005-F03Launched 10/8/2005

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Mission & Launch

Launch Mission: Launch 2005-F03
Launch Vehicle: Rokot
Launch Date: 10/8/2005
Last Contact: 10/8/2005

Orbit & Mass

Orbit Class: suborbital
Altitude: -1,880 km
Inclination: 92 deg
Dry Mass: 634 kg
Total Mass: 670 kg

Payload Classification

Mentions

All verified mentions of this spacecraft in source documents.

Cristal will continue the ESA’s CryoSat mission.

PlanGeneralValue 2.5May 5, 2026Estas son las seis misiones de expansión Sentinel del programa Copernicus de la UE

The campaign data will be compared with measurements from the CryoSat and Sentinel-3 satellites to support continuity of climate records after deployment of the next-generation satellites.

The GNSS-R–derived sea ice freeboard results show strong alignment with established altimetry datasets, including ESA’s CryoSat mission.

CapabilityGeneralValue 3.0Mar 9, 2026Satellite Data Enables Arctic-Wide Sea Ice Mapping

The CRISTAL spacecraft has a mass of 1,700 kg and is based on an Airbus satellite design that builds on heritage from Sentinel-6 and CryoSat.

CapabilityValue 4.5May 24, 2022The Airbus Copernicus CRISTAL Mission Satellite Built For The ESA Successfully Passes The PDR

ESA’s CryoSat mission, developed by Airbus, operated flawlessly for 12 years, well beyond its design lifetime.

CapabilityValue 3.5May 24, 2022The Airbus Copernicus CRISTAL Mission Satellite Built For The ESA Successfully Passes The PDR