RapidScat was a Ku-band (13.4 GHz) dual pencil beam rapid scatterometer aboard the International Space Station (ISS) that provided all-weather ocean surface wind vector measurements over the ice-free global oceans calibrated to a 10-meter reference height. Its location on the International Space Station made it the first space-borne scatterometer that could observe how winds evolve throughout the course of a day. 

As a bi-product of the low inclination orbit of ISS, RapidScat was in a unique position to provide measurements that are asynchronous with respect to the solar day cycle of Earth; this translates to RapidScat having the unique capability (in contrast to all other past space-borne scatterometers) of observing diurnal and semi-diurnal variability over seasonal time scales. RapidScat also benefits by having contemporaneous measurements from QuikSCAT (albeit limited due to QuikSCAT's fixed antenna position) as a way to ensure consistently calibrated measurements to ensure accurate observation and continued study of the coupled Earth climate system.

RapidScat began providing its first set of calibrated, science-quality measurements in October 2014. In August 2016, the Space Station's Columbus module experienced a power loss, which resulted in a total, unrecoverable power loss to RapidScat. Data collection ended on Aug. 19, 2016. Learn more by reading NASA's ISS-RapidScat fact sheet and background information on the eoPortal.