Concept illustration of the CryoSat satellite design

The overall layout is based on six key design features:

• the 'tent' arrangement of the 2 rigid solar array panels;

  the mounting of the SIRAL antennas on a separate rigid bench;the dedicated SIRAL radiator mounted at the nose tip;the accommodation of the principal electronic elements on a nadir plate of the body;the use of the nadir facing surface of the body to serve as the primary thermal radiating surface;the structure main element of a long rectangular tube from the rear to the front of the satellite.