Initial Radiance Validation of On-orbit MicroMAS-2A Data

Constellations of nanosatellites allow increased observations, improved revisit time, and expanded spatial coverage. Miniaturized microwave radiometers are particularly well-suited to nanosatellite constellations given the relatively wide receive beamwidth and high impact of their contribution to weather forecasting [1]. The Micro-sized Microwave Atmospheric Satellite (MicroMAS)-2A is a 3U CubeSat that launched on January 11, 2018, and provided the first CubeSat microwave atmospheric sounder data from orbit. MicroMAS-2A has a 1U 10-channel passive microwave radiometer with channels near 90, 118, 183, and 206 GHz for moisture and temperature profiling and precipitation imaging [2]. MicroMAS-2A is a pathfinder for the future mission Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats (TROPICS), which is projected to launch in 2020. In this work, we provide an initial radiance validation assessment of MicroMAS-2A data.