Spaceborne Bistatic SAR Scene Simulation

Abstract

Augmenting traditional spaceborne SAR sensors with additional receive-only satellites in close formation enhances the observation space, allowing for single-pass interferomtry in along- and/or acorss-track with flexible baselines and the potential to build tomographic stacks with reduced temporal decorrelation properties. The feasibility of such add-ons is presently investigated by ESA and other national space agencies and for a variaty of master satellites operating form X- to L-band. This paper presents a simulation framework for complete scenes dedicated specifically to the analysis of the additional technical requirements imposed by the bistatic SAR imaging geometry with relatively large along-track separation of illuminating master/chief and the receive-only slaves/deputies.