Bistatic SAR for Earth Observation

This chapter presents a case study of a spaceborne BSAR based on a small satellite equipped with a receiving only antenna flying in formation along parallel orbits with a main monostatic mission. First of all, payload aspects are dealt with, focusing in particular on overall BSAR architecture and performance, and presenting solutions for key technical issues of the bistatic mission. The models presented in chapter 2 are then applied to perform bistatic mission analysis, and the results and performance are reported in detail. After a definition of the orbital configuration of the formation, time histories of essential parameters for swath overlap during bistatic observation are derived, showing the possibility of carrying out a bistatic mission with a low cost satellite, exploiting expected attitude and pointing capabilities of the main mission, but without posing any constraint on its design. Finally, Doppler and resolution characteristics of bistatic and monostatic SAR data are compared