Just three months after launch, the European Space Agency’s twin HydroGNSS satellites are already proving their capabilities in orbit. By exploiting reflected signals from navigation satellites – the sophisticated technique they use to generate Delay Doppler Maps in order to ‘scout’ for water across Earth’s surface – these compact satellites are beginning to reveal the scientific potential they were built to unlock, even while still in their commissioning phase.

The video shows recent tracks from HydroGNSS-2 developing over France, the Mediterranean Sea and North Africa with orange and red sections indicating stronger reflections. On the right are shown the instantaneous Delay Doppler Maps at dual polarisation and dual frequency at each second for each reflection. Then HydroGNSS-1 tracks are shown over Tanzania to Malawi with the corresponding maps highlighting rivers and lakes.

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