<s>
SARAL	O
(	O
Satellite	O
with	O
ARgos	O
and	O
ALtiKa	B-Algorithm
)	O
is	O
a	O
cooperative	O
altimetry	O
technology	O
mission	O
of	O
Indian	O
Space	O
Research	O
Organisation	O
(	O
ISRO	O
)	O
and	O
Centre	O
National	O
d'Études	O
Spatiales	O
(	O
CNES	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
SARAL	O
mission	O
is	O
complementary	O
to	O
the	O
Jason-2	B-Algorithm
mission	O
of	O
NASA	O
/	O
NOAA	O
and	O
CNES	O
/	O
EUMETSAT	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
will	O
fill	O
the	O
gap	O
between	O
Envisat	B-Algorithm
and	O
the	O
Sentinel-3	B-Algorithm
mission	O
of	O
the	O
European	O
Copernicus	B-General_Concept
Programme	I-General_Concept
(	O
Global	B-General_Concept
Monitoring	I-General_Concept
for	I-General_Concept
Environment	I-General_Concept
and	I-General_Concept
Security	I-General_Concept
-	O
GMES	B-General_Concept
programme	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
SARAL	O
payload	O
module	O
was	O
provided	O
by	O
CNES	O
:	O
ALtiKa	B-Algorithm
(	O
Ka-band	O
altimeter	O
)	O
,	O
Doppler	O
Orbitography	O
and	O
Radiopositioning	O
Integrated	O
by	O
Satellite	O
(	O
DORIS	O
)	O
,	O
Laser	O
Retroreflector	O
Array	O
(	O
LRA	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
ARGOS	O
data	O
collection	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ALtiKa	B-Algorithm
,	O
the	O
altimeter	O
and	O
prime	O
payload	O
of	O
the	O
SARAL	O
mission	O
,	O
is	O
the	O
first	O
spaceborne	O
altimeter	O
to	O
operate	O
at	O
Ka-band	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ALTIKA	B-Algorithm
is	O
set	O
to	O
take	O
over	O
ocean-monitoring	O
from	O
Envisat	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
existing	O
satellite-borne	O
altimeters	O
determine	O
sea	O
level	O
by	O
bouncing	O
a	O
radar	O
signal	O
off	O
the	O
surface	O
and	O
measuring	O
the	O
return-trip	O
time	O
,	O
ALtiKa	B-Algorithm
operates	O
at	O
a	O
high	O
frequency	O
in	O
Ka-band	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
ALTIKA	B-Algorithm
uses	O
a	O
different	O
system	O
,	O
it	O
does	O
not	O
have	O
to	O
carry	O
an	O
instrument	O
to	O
correct	O
for	O
atmospheric	O
effects	O
as	O
current-generation	O
altimeters	O
do	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ALtiKa	B-Algorithm
gets	O
around	O
this	O
problem	O
by	O
operating	O
at	O
a	O
high	O
frequency	O
in	O
Ka-band	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ALtiKa	B-Algorithm
will	O
measure	O
ocean	O
surface	O
topography	O
with	O
an	O
accuracy	O
of	O
8mm	O
,	O
against	O
2.5cm	O
on	O
average	O
using	O
current-generation	O
altimeters	O
,	O
and	O
with	O
a	O
spatial	O
resolution	O
of	O
2km	O
.	O
</s>
