The objective of the Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR) onboard EarthCARE is to measure the vertical structure of clouds along the satellite track for the retrieval of their microscopic and macroscopic properties, and for the measurement of the vertical velocity of cloud particles.

The instrument was developed by, and is the responsibility of, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

The CPR is a high power 94 GHz radar that measures the vertical profiles of clouds along the sub-satellite track. It emits microwave pulses at a variable repeat frequency, which penetrate deep into lower cloud layers that are not visible for optical instruments.

The lowest measurement altitude extends to -1 km in order to permit the use of surface backscatter, and the highest measurement altitude is ~20 km. The vertical sampling interval is 100 m.