End-to-end Level-0 Data Simulation Tool for Future Spaceborne SAR Missions

Abstract

This paper presents the methodology for the end-to-end simulation of Level-0 data of future spaceborne SAR systems, including monostatic, bistatic and multistatic, multichannel, wide-swath, very high resolution, or high-orbit systems. This methodology is expected to play a relevant role in the future in the validation of idealised performance models, the illustration of the impact of the different error sources from instrument, platform, atmospheric propagation, the identification of requirement gaps, the refinement of acquisition strategies, and last, but not least, the tuning of processing and calibration algorithms. The paper also presents examples of two relevant systems of the next generation: the multi-channel, wide-swath Tandem-L system, and future bistatic companion SAR missions.