Satellites

 

The constellation

 

 

 

Find information about orbit changes, tandem phases, and more in the FAQ

 

DORIS constellation

 

Videos in orbit 

• Watch videos of the DORIS-equipped satellites in orbit available on the IDS video channel.
• Playlists: DORIS missions, Outreach, DORIS Days 2021

 

Make your own videos

• The videos have been created with the Visualization Tool for Space Data (VTS), a free software from CNES, the French space agency. Download VTS for free from the VTS website.
• Use VTS with predefined scenarios for the DORIS missions available on the IDS web site to animate the satellites in 2D or 3D environments (minimum version required is VTS 2.7).
• You can develop your own animations with the product files archived on the IDS Data Centers (CDDIS, IGN ftp://doris.ign.fr/pub/doris/):
  • orbits (cd products/orbits/)
  • quaternions (cd ancillary/quaternions/)
  Note: IDS product files must be converted in VTS specific format (see VTS documentation).

 

 

Satellite not found (invalid or missing code).

 

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list | timeline | constellation | orbit plans | tandem phases | orbit changes | video

 

 

List

A table containing all major information can be found here.

The DORIS satellites list
Name	Cospar	Launch	Mission End	Video
SENTINEL-3C	2620901	2026-09-15	-
HY-2E	2614901	2026-07-01	-
SENTINEL-6B	2526401	2025-11-17	-
SWOT	2217301	2022-12-16	-
HY-2D	2104301	2021-05-19	-
SENTINEL-6A	2008601	2020-11-21	-
HY-2C	2006601	2020-09-21	-
SENTINEL-3B	1803901	2018-04-25	-
SENTINEL-3A	1601101	2016-02-16	-
JASON-3	1600201	2016-01-17	-
SARAL	1300901	2013-02-25	-
HY-2A	1104301	2011-08-15	2020-09-14
CRYOSAT-2	1001301	2010-04-08	-
JASON-2	803201	2008-06-20	2019-10-10
STPSat-1	700604	2007-03-09	2009-10-07
SPOT-5	202101	2002-05-04	2015-12-11
ENVISAT	200901	2002-04-01	2012-05-09
JASON-1	105501	2001-12-07	2013-06-21
SPOT-4	9801701	1998-03-24	2013-06-24
SPOT-3	9306101	1993-09-26	1996-11-14
TOPEX/POSEIDON	9205201	1992-08-10	2005-10-09
SPOT-2	9000501	1990-01-22	2009-07-29

 

 

Timeline of the DORIS constellation

 

 

The constellation

The DORIS constellation as of June 2026.

 

 

Orbit plans

 

 

Tandem phases

The term tandem is used for the intercalibration phase between a new mission and the previous one, one following the other in the same orbit at less than one minute. The tandem phases have been implemented after the launch of each new altimetry reference mission: Topex-Poseidon and Jason-1 (2002), Jason-1 and Jason-2 (2008), Jason-2 and Jason-3 (2016), and Jason-3 and Sentinel-6A (2021–2022).Note that the term tandem phase may also have been used when Topex was on the inter-track of Jason-1, during the last phase of the Topex mission (from September 2022).

• Topex-Poseidon / Jason-1: 2002/01/15 (Jason-1’s first cycle) - 2002/08/15 (Jason-1 behind Topex (AC), 70s apart)
• Jason-1 / Jason-2: 2008/07/04 - 2009/01/26 (Jason-2 behind Jason-1, 55s apart)
• Jason-2 / Jason-3: 2016/02/12 - 2016/10/02 (Jason-3 behind Jason-2, 80s apart)
• Jason-3 / Sentinel-6A: 2020/12/18 – 2022/04/07 (Jason-3 ahead Sentinel-6A, 30 seconds apart)
• Jason-3 / Sentinel-6A: (2^nd tandem phase) 2025/01/30 - 2025/06/02 (Sentinel-6A ahead Jason-3, 1 minute apart)
• Sentinel-3A / Sentinel-3B: 2018/06/07 – 2018/10/16 (Sentinel-3B ahead Sentinel-3A, 30 seconds apart)
• Sentinel-6A / Sentinel-6B: scheduled 2025/12/18 - 2026/11/17 (Sentinel-6B behind Sentinel-6A, 30 seconds apart)

Note: all dates are YYYY/MM/DD

 

 

Orbit changes

Topex-Poseidon

• Launch: 1992/08/10
• Maneuver sequence: 1992/08/17 – 1992/09/21
• Reference orbit: 1992/09/21 – 2002/08/15
• Maneuver sequence: 2022/08/15-2002/09/16
• Interleaved orbit: 2002/09/16 – 2006/01/18
• End of science mission: 2005/10/09
• Satellite turned off: 2006/01/18

Jason-1 (Poseidon-2)

• Launch: 2001/12/07
• Maneuver sequence: 2001/12/11 – 2001/12/20
• Reference orbit: 2001/12/20 – 2009/01/26
• Maneuver sequence: 2009/01/26 – 2009/02/14
• Interleaved orbit: 2009/02/15 – 2012/04/24
• Maneuver sequence: 2012/04/25 -2012/05/02
• Drifting geodetic orbit (406-day period; 1324km): 2012/05/03 – 2013/07/01
• End of science mission: 2013/06/21
• Satellite passivated and decommissioned: 2013/07/01

Jason-2 (Poseidon-3)

• Launch: 2008/06/20
• Maneuver sequence: 2008/06/23 – 2008/07/04
• Reference orbit: 2008/07/04 – 2016/10/02
• Maneuver sequence: 2016/10/02 – 2016/10/13
• Interleaved orbit: 2016/10/13 - 2017/05/17
• Maneuver sequence: 2017/07/03 – 2017/07/10
• Long Repeat Orbit (LRO; 1309.5km): 2017/07/11 – 2018/07/16
• Maneuver sequence: 2018/07/16 – 201/07/18
• Interleaved Long Repeat Orbit (i-LRO; shifted 4 km from LRO*; 1309km): 2018/07/19 – 2019/10/01
• End of mission: 2019/10/01
• Satellite passivated and decommissioned: 2019/10/10

Jason-3 (Poseidon-3B)

• Launch: 2016/01/17
• Maneuver sequence: 2016/01/19– 2016/02/11
• Reference orbit: 2016/02/12 – 2022/04/07
• Maneuver sequence: 2022/04/07 – 2022/04/24
• Interleaved orbit: 2022/04/25 – 2025/01/07
• Maneuver sequence: 2025/01/07 – 2025/01/28
• Reference orbit: 2025/01/29 – 2025/06/02
• Maneuver sequence: 2025/06/02 – 2025/06/17
• Long Repeat Orbit (LRO): 2025/06/18 - 2026/06/23
• Maneuver sequence: 2026/06/23 – 2026/06/25
• Interleaved Long Repeat Orbit (i-LRO; shifted 4 km from LRO): 2026/06/26 - today

Swot (Poseidon-3C)

• Launch: 2022/12/16
• 1-day CalVal orbit (altitude 857 km): 2022/12/16 – 2023/07/10
• Maneuver sequence: 2023/07/11 – 2023/07/21
• 21-day Science orbit (altitude 890 km): 2023/07/21 – today

SPOT-4

• Launch: 1998/03/24
• Nominal orbit: 1998/03/24 - 2009/12/08
• Maneuver sequence: 2009/12/08 and 2010/02/02 (altitude slightly increased then lowered to correct orbital drift from 70º (drifted situation) to 166º (nominal position) between SPOT-4 and SPOT-5)
• Nominal orbit: 2010/01/ - 2013/01/29 (end of trade mission on 2013/01/11)
• Maneuver sequence: 2013/01/29
• TAKE5 orbit (3 km lower orbit, 5-day repeat cycle): 2013/01/29 (start of TAKE5 mission on 2013/01/31) – 2013/06/19
• End of mission: 2013/06/29

SPOT-5

• Launch: 2002/05/04
• Nominal orbit: 2002/05/04 - 2015/04/02 (end of trade mission on 2015/03/31)
• Maneuver sequence: 2015/04/02
• TAKE5 orbit (2.5 km lower orbit, 5-day repeat cycle): 2015/04/02 (start of TAKE5 mission on 2015/04/08) – 2015/12/01
• Desorbitation maneuver sequence: 2015/12/01 (start)
• End of mission: 2015/12/11

Envisat

• Launch: 2002/03/01
• Initial orbit: 2002/03/04 - 2010/10/21
• Maneuver sequence: 2010/10/22 - 2010/10/26
• Extension orbit (17 km lower orbit): 2010/10/27 – 2012/05/09
• End of mission: 2012/05/09

HY-2A

• Launch: 2011/08/15
• 14-day initial orbit (altitude 971 km): 2011/08/15 – 2016/03/23
• Maneuver sequence: 2016/03/23
• 168-day geodetic orbit (altitude 973 km): 2016/03/24 – 2020/09/14
• End of mission: 2020/09/14

Saral

• Launch: 2013/02/25
• Initial orbit: 2013/02/25 - 2016/07/03
• Maneuver sequence: 2016/07/04
• Drifting phase (Saral-DP) (semi-major increased +1 km): 2016/07/04 – today

Sentinel-3B

• Launch: 2018/04/25
• Initial Orbit (Sentinel-3B 30 seconds in front of Sentinel-3A): 2018/06/06 – 2018/10/16
• Maneuver sequence: 2018/10/16 – 2018/11/27
• Routine Orbit (Sentinel-3B 140 degrees in front of Sentinel-3A): 2018/11/27 – today

Note: all dates are YYYY/MM/DD

*About Jason's LRO:

LRO #1 Jason-2 July 2017 to July 2018
LRO #2 Jason-2 July 2018 to September 2019 (shifted 4 km from LRO #1)
LRO #3 Jason-3 June 2025 to June 2026 (shifted 2 km from LRO #1)
LRO #4 Jason-3 July 2026 to July 2027 (shifting 4 km from LRO #3, or 2 km from LRO #1) 

 

Video

The DORIS constellation as of February 2022. See also DORIS constellation 2016.