satellite and airborne sar sensor specifications
TRANSCRIPT
Robust Imaging from Space
Adjunct Reference Document #1
Satellite and Airborne SAR Sensor Specifications
The following tables provide detailed specifications of currently operational and proposed satellite and airborne SAR sensors, including those having reached end of life.
Table A - Operational satellite SAR sensors and specifications _________________________ 1
Table B - Future/proposed satellite SAR sensors and specifications. _____________________ 7
Table C - Operational airborne SAR sensors and specifications. _______________________ 13
Table D - Decommissioned SAR sensors. __________________________________________ 18
Robust Imaging from Space Satellite and Airborne SAR Sensor Specifications
Table A - Operational satellite SAR sensors and specifications
Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial Information (CRC-SI) – June 2012 Page | 1
Table A - Operational satellite SAR sensors and specifications
X-BAND
Nat
ion
Sensor, operating agency, launch, Design life (EOL), application area
Orbit & altitude (km) Inclination angle (°) Target revisit time
Swath width (km)
Imaging modes Spatial resolution (m)
Incidence angle (°)
GER
MA
NY
SAR-Lupe 1-5 DLR/Bundeswehr 5 satellite constellation for delivering high resolution
SAR images for military reconnaissance 1
st 2006, 2
nd 2007, 3
rd 2007, 4
th 2008, 5
th 2008
Est. Cost 250 mil EUR EOL: 10 yrs
Polar 500 km 98.2° Daily
8 5.5
X-band SAR Encrypted S-band for telemetry & command transmissions Stripmap mode Spotlight mode
<1
TSX-1 (TerraSAR-X) DLR, 2007-2013
Scientific & commercial use hydrology, geology, climatology, oceanography, environment & disaster monitoring, cartography
Sun-synch 514 km 97.44° 11 days
10 10 15-30 100
X- Multiple imaging modes High resolution Spotlight SP (HH or VV) or DP (HH/VV) Spotlight SP (HH or VV) or DP (HH/VV) Stripmap SP (HH or VV) or DP (HH/VV, HH/HV, VV/VH) ScanSAR SP
1.48-3.49 1.48-3.49 1.7-3.49 1.7-3.49
20-55 20-55 20-45 20-45 Left and right looking
TDX-1 (TanDEM-X) DLR, 2010-2014 Global DEM generation & earth observation, new
applications using along-track InSAR (e.g., measuring ocean currents), pol-InSAR, bistatic processing and formation flying
EOL: 5 yrs Co-fly in close formation with TSX-1, near identical capability
Sun-synch 514 km 97.44° 11 days
30 10 100
Interferometric imaging: Bistatic mode Monostatic mode Along-track interferometry (ATI) Polarimetric interferometry SAR imaging (same as TerraSAR-X): Stripmap DP Spotlight DP ScanSAR DP
12 (DEM) (abs v.acc 10 m, rel acc. <2 m) 3 1 16
25-55
Robust Imaging from Space Satellite and Airborne SAR Sensor Specifications
Table A - Operational satellite SAR sensors and specifications
Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial Information (CRC-SI) – June 2012 Page | 2
X-BAND
Nat
ion
Sensor, operating agency, launch, Design life (EOL), application area
Orbit & altitude (km) Inclination angle (°) Target revisit time
Swath width (km)
Imaging modes Spatial resolution (m)
Incidence angle (°)
ITA
LY
Cosmo-SkyMed 1-4 (Constellation of small Satellites for Mediterranean basin Observation) ITA, -1 2007, -2 2007, -3 2008, -4 2009 EOL: 5 years 4 X-band EOS satellite constellation Dual use: Civilian: disaster/risk management, ice monitoring,
agriculture, urban Defence: intelligence gathering, ship detection,
maritime surveillance, security
Sun-synch 620 km 97.86° Daily-16 days
10 30-40 100-200 30
Selectable single pol (HH,VV,HV,VH) Spotlight Stripmap ScanSAR Ping pong or Stripmap – 2x selectable pol (HH, VV, HV, VH)
1 3-15 30-100 15
25-50 Left and right looking
RU
SSIA
Meteor-M N1 (Meteorological Satellite) ROSHYDROMET, ROSKOSMOS. 2009-2014 EOL: 5 yrs
Operational meteorological services, regional & global weather analysis & prediction, ocean surface water states, space weather analysis
Sun-synch 830 km 98.79° 37 days
450-600 Onboard Radar Complex (OBRC) – Severjanin, Vertical pol Low resolution MSS (MSU-MR) IR Fourier Spectrometer (IRFS-2) MS imaging system (KMSS) Microwave imaging/sounding radiometer (MTVZA) Spectrometer for Geoactive Measurements (MSGI) Data Collection System (DCS)
400-1000 25-48
JAP
AN
IGS-7A (Information Gathering Satellite) 2011- Dual use Military: surveillance, early warning of hostile
launches Civilian: disaster monitoring
Polar 500 km
1
Robust Imaging from Space Satellite and Airborne SAR Sensor Specifications
Table A - Operational satellite SAR sensors and specifications
Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial Information (CRC-SI) – June 2012 Page | 3
X-BAND
Nat
ion
Sensor, operating agency, launch, Design life (EOL), application area
Orbit & altitude (km) Inclination angle (°) Target revisit time
Swath width (km)
Imaging modes Spatial resolution (m)
Incidence angle (°)
IND
IA
RISAT-2 (Radar Imaging Satellite 2) ISRO, 2009-2013 Dual use Civil: agriculture, forestry, soil moisture, geology,
sea ice, coastal processes, object detection, flood mapping
Military: reconnaissance, border surveillance, ship detection
Sun-synch 550 km
10-50 Spotlight Stripmap Mosaic mode
3-8
ISR
AEL
TecSAR (Technological SAR) IAI, 2008- EOL: 4 yrs
Low-earth orbit reconnaissance
450-580 km 41°
Selectable pol (HH,HV,VH,VV) Stripmap Spotlight ScanSAR Mosaic mode
1
Robust Imaging from Space Satellite and Airborne SAR Sensor Specifications
Table A - Operational satellite SAR sensors and specifications
Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial Information (CRC-SI) – June 2012 Page | 4
C-BAND
Nat
ion
Sensor, operating agency, launch, Design life (EOL), application area
Orbit & altitude (km) Inclination angle (°) Target revisit time
Swath width (km)
Imaging modes Spatial resolution (m)
Incidence angle (°)
IND
IA
RISAT-1 (Radar Imaging Satellite) ISRO, 2012-2017 EOL: 5 yrs Dual use Civil: agriculture, forestry, soil moisture, geology,
sea ice, coastal processes, object detection, flood mapping
Military: reconnaissance, border surveillance, ship detection
Sun-synch circ 609 km 97.84° 12 days
10 30 30 120 240
Spotlight SP/DP Stripmap mode-1 (FRS-1) SP/DP Stripmap mode-2 (FRS-2) QP Med res ScanSAR (MRS) SP/DP Coarse res ScanSAR (CRS) SP/DP
<2 3 12 25 50
±34 Left or right looking
CA
NA
DA
RADARSAT-1 CSA, 1995-
Earth observation: disaster management, interferometry, agriculture, cartography, hydrology, forestry, oceanography, ice studies, coastal monitoring
Sun-synch 798 km 98.6° 24 days
45 100 150 300 500 75 170
C- Multiple imaging modes Fine HH Standard HH Wide HH ScanSAR narrow ScanSAR wide Extended high Extended low
8 30 30 50 100 18-28 30
37-47 20-49 20-45 20-49 29-49 52-58 10-22 Right looking
RADARSAT-2 CSA, 2007-
Earth observation: maritime surveillance, disaster management, ecosystem monitoring
Sun-synch 798 km 98.6° 24 days
20 50 50 100 150 300 500 75 25 25
Multiple imaging modes Ultra-Fine SP Multi-look Fine SP Fine SP/DP Standard SP/DP Wide SP/DP ScanSAR Narrow SP/DP ScanSAR Wide SP/DP Extended High SP Fine QP Standard QP
3 8 8 25 30 50 100 18 12 25
30-49 30-50 30-50 20-49 20-45 20-46 20-49 49-60 20-41 20-41
Robust Imaging from Space Satellite and Airborne SAR Sensor Specifications
Table A - Operational satellite SAR sensors and specifications
Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial Information (CRC-SI) – June 2012 Page | 5
S-BAND
Nat
ion
Sensor, operating agency, launch, Design life (EOL), application area
Orbit & altitude (km) Inclination angle (°) Target revisit time
Swath width (km)
Imaging modes Spatial resolution (m)
Incidence angle (°)
RU
SSIA
Kondor-E NPO, 2012-2022 EOL: 3-10 yrs Dual use Military: navigation and reconnaissance Earth observation: agriculture, forestry, land use
management, geology and mineral exploration, environmental protection
Polar 800 km
20-150 10-20
Spotlight HH, VV Stripmap ScanSAR
1-2 1-3 5-30
20-55 Left and Right looking
CH
INA
HJ-1C (Huan Jing-1) CRESDA, 2011-2014 Environmental monitoring & prediction, solid waste
monitoring, disaster monitoring & prediction (flood, drought, typhoon, wind damage, sand storm, earthquake, land creep, frost, grassland fires, crop pests, ocean disaster monitoring)
Sun-synch circ 500 km 97.3° 31 days
40 100
1 radar + 2 optical constellation (HJ-1A: CCD+IR camera, HJ-1B: CCD+HSI camera) StripMap SP (HH or VV) ScanSAR
5 20
31-44.5
Robust Imaging from Space Satellite and Airborne SAR Sensor Specifications
Table A - Operational satellite SAR sensors and specifications
Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial Information (CRC-SI) – June 2012 Page | 6
L-BAND
Nat
ion
Sensor, operating agency, launch, Design life (EOL), application area
Orbit & altitude (km) Inclination angle (°) Target revisit time
Swath width (km)
Imaging modes Spatial resolution (m)
Incidence angle (°)
CH
INA
JianBing-5 (JB-5) JB 5-2/Yaogan3, JB 9-1/Yaogan6, JB 9-2/Yaogan8, Yaogan9A/9B/9C, JB 9-3/Yaogan10, Yaogan13 Y3 2007-, Y6 2009-, Y8 2009-, Y9 2010-, Y10 2010-, Y13 2011 Dual use Military: intelligence gathering, surveillance and
reconnaissance Earth observation: land survey, disaster forecasting,
crop yield evaluation, urban planning
635 km (Y3) 518 km (Y6) 1200 km (Y8) 1089 km (Y9) 629 km (Y10) 97.8 °
20 100
Spotlight ScanSAR
5 40 1.5 (Y6)
63.4 (Y9)
MULTI-FREQUENCY
Nat
ion
Sensor, operating agency, launch, Design life (EOL), application area
Orbit & altitude (km) Inclination angle (°) Target revisit time
Swath width (km)
Imaging modes Spatial resolution (m)
Incidence angle (°)
RU
SSIA
Smotr Gascom, 2009 EOL: 7-10 yrs 4 low-orbit satellites for monitoring oil/gas pipeline
and earth observation (2 radar, 2 optical)
Sun-synch 670 km 98°
10-15 30-100
X- or C-band High resolution mode Low resolution mode
1-3 5-15
Priroda RKA, 1996- Launched & installed on MIR space station Geoecology, land surface & ocean exploration
400 km 52° 6 days
50 Radiometer, SAR and optical imaging L-HH and S-VV
50 35
Robust Imaging from Space Satellite and Airborne SAR Sensor Specifications
Table B - Future/proposed satellite SAR sensors and specifications
Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial Information (CRC-SI) – June 2012 Page | 7
Table B - Future/proposed satellite SAR sensors and specifications
X-BAND
Nat
ion
Sensor, operating agency, launch, design life (EOL), application area
Orbit & altitude (km) Inclination angle (°) Target revisit time
Swath width (km)
Imaging modes Spatial resolution (m)
Incidence angle (°)
SPA
IN
SEOSAR/PAZ (SAR Observation Spanish Satellite) 2012-2016 Dual use Defence: land/water surveillance, border control,
tactical support Civil: natural disaster monitoring, risk & crisis
management
Sun-synch 514 km 97.44° 11 days
5-10 15-30 100
Based on TerraSAR-X Spotlight SP/DP Stripmap SP/DP ScanSAR (HH, VV)
1-2 3-6 15
15-60 Left and right looking
ITA
LY
Cosmo-SkyMed Second Generation (CSG-1, CSG-2) ASI, MiD CSG-1 2015-2023, CSG-2 2016-2023 Environmental monitoring, surveillance and risk
management, maritime, topographic mapping, law enforcement
Sun-synch 620 km 97.8° 16 days
10 40 100, 200 30
Spotlight DP Stripmap DP ScanSAR DP Ping-pong QP
1 3 20, 40 15
GER
MA
NY
TerraSAR-X2 DLR, 2015-2018 Commercial follow-on mission to TSX-1:
cartography, land surface, civil planning, DTMs, environmental monitoring
Sun-synch
10-40 50-500
Spotlight Stripmap ScanSAR
0.5 1-4 5-50
UK
AstroSAR Astrium EOL: 5 yrs Mini-satellite proposed to UK Ministry of Defence Cost: <$100 mil. Dual use: civil/military Maritime, environment, security &
disaster monitoring
Sun-synch 500 km Hourly-daily
10 20 100 900
Spotlight SP (HH or VV) or DP (HV) Stripmap SP/DP ScanSAR SP/DP Maritime
1 3 30 20
±45 Left and right looking
Robust Imaging from Space Satellite and Airborne SAR Sensor Specifications
Table B - Future/proposed satellite SAR sensors and specifications
Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial Information (CRC-SI) – June 2012 Page | 8
X-BAND
Nat
ion
Sensor, operating agency, launch, design life (EOL), application area
Orbit & altitude (km) Inclination angle (°) Target revisit time
Swath width (km)
Imaging modes Spatial resolution (m)
Incidence angle (°)
RU
SSIA
Meteor-M N2, N3 (Meteorological Satellite) ROSHYDROMET, ROSKOSMOS, N2 2012, N3 2015 EOL: 5 yrs Operational meteorological services, regional &
global weather analysis & prediction, ocean surface water states, space weather analysis
Sun-synch 835 km 98.7° 37 days
450-600 Onboard Radar Complex (OBRC) – Severjanin, Vertical pol Module for Geophysical Measurements (GGAK-M) Fourier spectrometer (IKFS-2) MS imager (KMSS) MS scanning imager/radiometer (MSU-MR) Scanning microwave imager-sounder (MTVZA) Data Collection System (DCS)
400-1000 25-48
KO
REA
KOMPSAT-5 (Korea Multi-Purpose Satellite-5) KARI, 2012-2017 EOL; 5 yrs Civil/scientific use; GIS, ocean & land management,
environment and disaster monitoring
Sun-synch 550 km 97.6° 28 days
5 30 100
Selectable pol (HH,HV,VH,VV) High resolution mode Standard mode Wide swath mode
1 3 20
20-55
IND
IA RISAT-2F (Radar Imaging Satellite)
ISRO, 2013-? Research and disaster management applications
Sun-synch 550 km
Robust Imaging from Space Satellite and Airborne SAR Sensor Specifications
Table B - Future/proposed satellite SAR sensors and specifications
Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial Information (CRC-SI) – June 2012 Page | 9
C-BAND
Nat
ion
Sensor, operating agency, launch, design life (EOL), application area
Orbit & altitude (km) Inclination angle (°) Target revisit time
Swath width (km)
Imaging modes Spatial resolution (m)
Incidence angle (°)
ITA
LY
Sentinel-1 A,B,C ESA A 2012-2020, B 2014-2022, C 2019-2026 Sea ice monitoring, marine surveillance, land surface
motion, disaster management
693 km 98.18° 12 days
80 250 400
VV+VH, HH+HV StripMap Interferometric Wide swath Extra wide swath Wave mode
5 5x20 20x40 5x5
20-45
CA
NA
DA
RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM) C-1, C-2, C-3 CSA, C1,C2 2014-2021, C3 2015-2022 3 EOS satellites for near real-time maritime
surveillance (ship detection, oil spill monitoring & sea ice mapping), disaster management, InSAR for geohazards, climate change & environment monitoring
592.7 km 97.74° 12 days
500 350 30 125 30 20 350 350
HH,VV,HV,VH, compact pol Low resolution Med resolution (maritime) Med resolution (land) Med resolution (land) High resolution Very high resolution Ice/oil low noise 25 m ship mode
100 50 16 30 5 3 100 variable
19-54 19-58 20-47 21-47 19-54 18-54 19-58 19-58 Right looking
S-BAND
Nat
ion
Sensor, operating agency, launch, design life (EOL), application area
Orbit & altitude (km) Inclination angle (°) Target revisit time
Swath width (km)
Imaging modes Spatial resolution (m)
Incidence angle (°)
UK
NovaSAR-S SSTL, 2013-2020 Scientific/EO: flood and disaster monitoring,
forestry, maritime surveillance, agriculture, land cover/use
Sun-synch or LI equatorial 580 km Daily-4 days
15-20 100 150 750
SP/DP/TP: (HH, HV, VH, VV) Stripmap ScanSAR ScanSAR wide Maritime surveillance
6 20 30 30
16-34 16-30 15-31 48-73
Robust Imaging from Space Satellite and Airborne SAR Sensor Specifications
Table B - Future/proposed satellite SAR sensors and specifications
Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial Information (CRC-SI) – June 2012 Page | 10
L-BAND
Nat
ion
Sensor, operating agency, launch, design life (EOL), application area
Orbit & altitude (km) Inclination angle (°) Target revisit time
Swath width (km)
Imaging modes Spatial resolution (m)
Incidence angle (°)
GER
MA
NY
TanDEM-L DLR, 2017-2022
760 km 8 days
350 L-band SAR Single-pass InSAR Polarimetry - quad Wide swath mode
20-100 26.3-46.6
JAP
AN
ALOS PALSAR-2 (Phase Array L-band SAR) JAXA, 2013-2017
Earth observation, interferometry
628 km 97.9° 14 days 66 days 42 days 14 days
25 50 50 70 350 490
Spotlight SP Ultra Fine SP/DP High sensitive SP/DP/FP/CP Fine SP/DP/FP/CP ScanSAR nominal SP/DP ScanSAR wide SP/DP (*SP: HH or VV or HV; DP: HH+HV or VV+VH; FP: HH+HV+VH+VV; CP: compact pol)
3x1 3 6 10 100 60
30-44 Left or right looking
IND
IA
RISAT-1F and -3L (Radar Imaging Satellite) ISRO, 1F 2012-2018, 3L 2014-2020 Dual use Civil: agriculture, forestry, soil moisture, geology,
sea ice, coastal processes, object detection, flood mapping
Military: reconnaissance, border surveillance, ship detection
Sun-synch 97.84° 12 days
SAR L-radiometer
USA
DESDNyl NASA JPL, 2017-2022
Earth observation: land surface change & hazards, terrestrial & climate variables
Sun-synch 600-800 km 97° 12-16 days
180-240 Multiple polarisations Single/dual-pol repeat pass InSAR Expt. quad-pol repeat pass InSAR
10-100
Robust Imaging from Space Satellite and Airborne SAR Sensor Specifications
Table B - Future/proposed satellite SAR sensors and specifications
Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial Information (CRC-SI) – June 2012 Page | 11
L-BAND
Nat
ion
Sensor, operating agency, launch, design life (EOL), application area
Orbit & altitude (km) Inclination angle (°) Target revisit time
Swath width (km)
Imaging modes Spatial resolution (m)
Incidence angle (°)
SMAP (Soil Moisture Active Passive) NASA JPL, 2014-2017 Global measurements of soil moisture and
freeze/thaw state for improved understanding of water, energy & carbon cycles, climate modelling, flood prediction, drought monitoring
Sun-synch 680 km 2-3 days
1000 L-band SAR VV,HH,HV L-band Radiometer
1-3 km 40 km
40
AR
GEN
TIN
A &
ITA
LY
SAOCOM (SAR Observation and Communications Satellite) CONAE, Argentina and ASI, Italy Satellite EOS constellation 1A 2014-2019, 1B 2015-2020, 2A 2015-2020, 2B 2016-2021 EOL: 5 yrs
Soil moisture mapping to support agricultural, hydrological & health applications, General NRM & disaster management
Sun-synch 620 km 97.89° 16 days (1 sat) 8 days (const)
20-40 100-150 220-350
Stripmap SP/DP TopSAR narrow SP/DP/QP TopSAR wide SP/DP/QP/CL (*SP: HH or HV or VH or VV; DP: HH+HV or VV+VH; QP: HH+HV+VH+VV; CL: RH+RV or LH+LV)
10 30-50 50-100
17-50.4 17.6-47.3 17.6-48.9 Right looking
Robust Imaging from Space Satellite and Airborne SAR Sensor Specifications
Table B - Future/proposed satellite SAR sensors and specifications
Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial Information (CRC-SI) – June 2012 Page | 12
P-BAND
Nat
ion
Sensor, operating agency, launch, design life (EOL), application area
Orbit & altitude (km) Inclination angle (°) Target revisit time
Swath width (km)
Imaging modes Spatial resolution (m)
Incidence angle (°)
ITA
LY BIOMASS
ESA, Italy, 2016-2021 642 km 25-45 days
60 105
P-band InSAR full pol StripMap ScanSAR
50x65 23-32 Left or right looking
MULTI-FREQUENCY
RU
SSIA
Arkon-2M Roskosmos, 2013-2018 Military surveillance, earth observation and weather
information
Sun-synch 550-600 km
2-10 20-100 100-450
X- L- R- (69 cm)
1-1.5 3-5 30
CH
INA
HY-3A, HY-3B, HY-3C CRESDA 3A 2015-2020, 3B 2017-2022, 3C 2022-2027 EOL: >3 yrs
Ocean monitoring, environmental protection, coastal zone survey
Sun-synch 799 km 98.48° 29 days
20-40 60-80 120-150 5 150 650 650
X- SAR Precise mode HH,VV X- Stripmap HH,VV X- ScanSAR HH,VV C- SAR Wave mode HH+VV or HH+HV or VV+VH C- Image mode HH+VV or HH+HV or VV+VH C- Wide swath mode HH+VV or HH+HV or VV+VH C- Global monitoring mode HH+VV or HH+HV or VV+VH
1 5 10 10 25 100 1000
15-60
USA
SCLP (Snow and Cold Land Processes) NASA JPL, 2030-2033
Snow accumulation for freshwater availability
Sun-synch 15 days
K-band radiometer Ku and X-band radars
50-100
Robust Imaging from Space Satellite and Airborne SAR Sensor Specifications
Table C - Operational airborne SAR sensors and specifications
Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial Information (CRC-SI) – June 2012 Page | 13
Table C - Operational airborne SAR sensors and specifications
Nat
ion
Sensor, operating agency and date, application area Flying height (km) Swath width (km)
Frequency Imaging modes
Spatial resolution (m)
Incidence angle (°)
EUROPE
FRA
NC
E
Sethi ONERA, 2007- Earth observation, interferometry, security and
scientific applications (e.g., Tropisar campaign – preparation for BIOMASS satellite mission)
Multispectral & SAR system X- L-, P-
0-90 5-165
RAMSES ONERA
Scientific: topography, subsidence, vegetation, geology, soil moisture
P-, L-, S-, C-, X- full pol Ku, Ka full pol W
40-80
GER
MA
NY
DO-SAR Dornier
S-VV, VH, HH, HV C-VV, VH, HH, HV X-VV, VH, HH, HV Ka-VV
E-SAR DLR, 1989/94-
3.9 L- full pol X-VV or HH X-VV or HH P- full pol
2x0.085 20-60
UK
DRA-SAR (Defence Research Agency SAR) DRA
C- full pol X-HH
DEN
MA
RK
EMISAR EMI/TUD, 1993/94-
C- full pol L- full pol
2
Robust Imaging from Space Satellite and Airborne SAR Sensor Specifications
Table C - Operational airborne SAR sensors and specifications
Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial Information (CRC-SI) – June 2012 Page | 14
Nat
ion
Sensor, operating agency and date, application area Flying height (km) Swath width (km)
Frequency Imaging modes
Spatial resolution (m)
Incidence angle (°)
SWED
EN CARABAS (Coherent All Radio Band Sensing)
FOA
Wide-area surveillance, target detection, vegetation and biomass, disaster monitoring
1-5 1-5 VHF 20-90 MHz HH
3 40-70
NET
HER
LAN
DS PHARUS (Phased Array Universal SAR)
FEL-TNO, Delft, 1995-
Military (target detection, cartography) and civil use (forestry, agriculture, oceans)
6-20 C- full pol 3 10-75
RUSSIA
SAR TRAVERS Vega, Moscow
S- VV or HH
IMARC Vega, Moscow Soil & terrain mapping, hydrology studies, DEM
generation
24 X-, L-, P- full polarimetric VHF (118 MHz)
4-15
ASIA
JAP
AN
Pi-SAR-L (Polarimetric and Interferometric SAR) JAXA, 1996- Disaster monitoring & earth observation
6-12 15 X- InSAR Mode 1 HH or VV X- and L- full pol Mode 2 HH, HV, VH, HH
3x3.2 10-60
NASAR-1 NASDA/EORC, 1996-
20 L- full pol 3
NECSAR NASDA/EORC, 1992-
Interferometry & topographic mapping
X-HH
Robust Imaging from Space Satellite and Airborne SAR Sensor Specifications
Table C - Operational airborne SAR sensors and specifications
Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial Information (CRC-SI) – June 2012 Page | 15
Nat
ion
Sensor, operating agency and date, application area Flying height (km) Swath width (km)
Frequency Imaging modes
Spatial resolution (m)
Incidence angle (°)
CH
INA
CASSAR CAS/ISRA Agriculture, soil moisture, vegetation parameters,
biomass, surface roughness
7.2 X-HH, VV
10 73-83
AUSTRALIA
INGARA DSTO Scientific: coherent change detection studies &
feature extraction
12-48
X- full pol Stripmap Spotlight Interferometric
2-8 0.3
45-89
PLIS (Polarimetric L-band Imaging SAR) Flinders University, Adelaide Test bed for SMAP with applications in soil moisture
estimation
0.3-3 0.1-2.2 L-band scatterometer Full pol Single pass InSAR
11-29 15-45 Left and right looking
SOUTH AFRICA SASAR-1 (South African SAR)
University of Cape Town, 1999- Terrain mapping, vegetation studies
4 VHF (0.141 GHz) full pol
CANADA STAR-1,2 (Sea ice and Terrain Assessment Radar)
Intermap, 1990- Sea ice monitoring, terrain analysis
19-50 X-HH 5-18
NORTH AMERICA GeoSAR
Interferometer and LiDAR profiler Fugro EarthData, 2000-
Commercial/scientific: thematic & topographic mapping, hydrology, oil and gas exploration,
10-12
10-12 X- and P- HH+HV or VV+VH
1.25-3 (X-) 1.25-5 (P-) 5 (DEM)
25-60
Robust Imaging from Space Satellite and Airborne SAR Sensor Specifications
Table C - Operational airborne SAR sensors and specifications
Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial Information (CRC-SI) – June 2012 Page | 16
Nat
ion
Sensor, operating agency and date, application area Flying height (km) Swath width (km)
Frequency Imaging modes
Spatial resolution (m)
Incidence angle (°)
infrastructure planning, crop monitoring, forestry, fuel mapping
UAVSAR NASA JPL
Differential interferometry for investigating dynamic phenomena (earthquakes, volcanoes, deformation, vegetation, soil moisture, ice/glaciers, oceanography)
13.8 16 L- full pol 2 rng
STAR3i/IFSARE (Interferometric SAR – Elevation) ERIM, USA, 1992- Military and civil use: interferometric mapping, DEM
generation
12.2 10 X-HH 3 2.5-10 DEM (abs V.Acc 3)
45
SOUTH AMERICA
AR
GEN
TIN
A SARAT
CONAE, Argentina
Test bed for SAOCOM satellite and integration with multi-frequency SAR data for extracting physical information
9 L-band polarimetry HH,HV,VH,VV
3x0.4 23-69
BR
AZI
L
Orbisar-RFP (Radar for Foliage Penetration) OrbiSat, Brazil Cartographic products, including DTMs, ortho-
images, contour maps, topographic maps for applications in mining, gas and oil, defence, environment, energy
X- and P-band InSAR
US MILITARY
DCS (Data Collection System) ERIM, US Air Force -Single-pass interferometry
6.1 X- full pol Ku-VV
1.2 45
Robust Imaging from Space Satellite and Airborne SAR Sensor Specifications
Table C - Operational airborne SAR sensors and specifications
Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial Information (CRC-SI) – June 2012 Page | 17
Nat
ion
Sensor, operating agency and date, application area Flying height (km) Swath width (km)
Frequency Imaging modes
Spatial resolution (m)
Incidence angle (°)
ASARS-2A (Advanced SAR System) Onboard U2 aircraft US Air Force Military reconnaissance & surveillance, target
detection, damage assessment, disaster survey
Payloads: electro-optical, IR and SAR imagers, film camera, signals intelligence equipment
P-3/SAR ERIM, Navy
UWB (0.35 GHz) VV, VH, HH, HV L-VV, VH, HH, HV C-VV, VH, HH, HV X-VV, VH, HH, HV
SAR onboard RC-7 ARL aircraft US Military
Military intelligence gathering
Payloads: communications, signals and imagery intelligence
1.8
Phased-array radar onboard E-8C JSTARS aircraft US Air Force
Ground surveillance & moving target detection
Multi-mode SAR system Wide Area Surveillance (WAS) Moving Target Indicator (MTI)
Antenna tilted to either side 120° FOV
SAR onboard MQ-1 Predator UAV US Air Force, 1995- Military surveillance and reconnaissance,
intelligence gathering, weapons delivery
7.62 0.3-1
SAR onboard RQ-4A Global Hawk UAV US Air Force
Military intelligence, moving target detection, damage assessment
19.8 10 37
UAV equipped with electro-optical, IR and SAR imagers SAR MTI system, X-band Spotlight mode Stripmap mode Wide-area mode
0.3-1.8 6
Robust Imaging from Space Satellite and Airborne SAR Sensor Specifications
Table D - Decommissioned SAR sensors
Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial Information (CRC-SI) – June 2012 Page | 18
Table D - Decommissioned SAR sensors
AIRBORNE
Nat
ion
Sensor, operating agency and date, application area Flying height (km)
Swath width (km)
Frequency Imaging modes
Spatial resolution (m)
Incidence angle (°)
USA
AIRSAR (Airborne SAR) and TOPSAR (Topographic SAR) NASA JPL, USA 1993-2000
8 10-15 4.6 TOPSAR
C-, L- and P- Polarimetric Cross-track Interferometric (XTI) Along-track Interferometric (ATI)
10 0-70
SATELLITE
Nat
ion
Sensor, operating agency, launch, application area Orbit & altitude (km) Inclination angle (°) Target revisit time
Swath width (km)
Frequency Imaging modes
Spatial resolution (m)
Incidence angle (°)
X-BAND
JAP
AN
IGS-1B, IGS-4B (Information Gathering Satellites) 1B 2003-2007, 4B 2007-2010
Military surveillance
486-491 km 97.3°
1-3
C-BAND
ITA
LY ERS-1 (Earth Resources Satellite)
ESA, 1991-2000
Earth observation, meteorology, topographic mapping
Sun-synch polar 100 C-VV 30x26.3 23
Robust Imaging from Space Satellite and Airborne SAR Sensor Specifications
Table D - Decommissioned SAR sensors
Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial Information (CRC-SI) – June 2012 Page | 19
Nat
ion
Sensor, operating agency, launch, application area Orbit & altitude (km) Inclination angle (°) Target revisit time
Swath width (km)
Frequency Imaging modes
Spatial resolution (m)
Incidence angle (°)
ERS-2 ESA, 1995-2011 -Earth observation
800 km 98.5° 35 days
100 5
SAR image mode C-VV SAR wave mode Wind scatterometer mode
26 20-26 Right looking
ENVISAT ASAR (Advanced SAR) ESA, 2002-2012
Earth observation: land, sea, ice, ocean monitoring & surveillance
800 km 98.5° 35 days
100 100 400 400 5
Image mode (HH or VV) Alternating pol (VV+HH or VV+VH or HH+HV) Wide swath mode (HH or VV) Global monitoring mode (HH or VV) Wave mode (HH or VV)
30 30 150 1000 30
15-45 Right looking
S-BAND
RU
SSIA
Almaz-1 1991-1992 Oceanography, geology, cartography & geophysics,
climate change, forestry, Agriculture, ecology
270 km 72.7°
40
HH 10-15 25-60 Left and right looking
USA
Lacrosse 1-5/Onyx NRO, 1988-2011 Military reconnaissance
666 km 57-68°
5 satellite program 1
L-BAND
JAP
AN
JERS-1 (Japanese Earth Resources Satellite) JAXA, 1992-1998
Tropical & boreal forest mapping
570 km 98.5° 44 days
75 L-HH 18 32-38
Robust Imaging from Space Satellite and Airborne SAR Sensor Specifications
Table D - Decommissioned SAR sensors
Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial Information (CRC-SI) – June 2012 Page | 20
Nat
ion
Sensor, operating agency, launch, application area Orbit & altitude (km) Inclination angle (°) Target revisit time
Swath width (km)
Frequency Imaging modes
Spatial resolution (m)
Incidence angle (°)
ALOS PALSAR (Phase Array L-band SAR) JAXA, 2006-2011
Earth observation
691 km 98.16° 46 days
70 70 30 350
L- Multiple modes Fine Beam Single HH Fine Beam Dual HH+HV Quad pol HH+HV+VH+VV Wide Beam HH
10 20 30 100
34.3-41.5 34.3-41.5 21.5 18-43 Right looking
CH
INA
JianBing-5 (JB 5-1/Yaogan 1) 2006-2010 Dual use Military: intelligence gathering, surveillance and
reconnaissance Earth observation: land survey, disaster forecasting,
crop yield evaluation, urban planning
628 km 97.8 °
40 100
Spotlight ScanSAR
5 20
MULTI-FREQUENCY
USA
SIR-C/X-SAR (Shuttle Imaging Radar) NASA JPL, 1994 Experimental program for multi-freq/pol/ang SAR
for extracting physical information
215 57° 2x11 day missions
15-90 15-40
C- and L- full pol (HH,HV,VH,VV) X-VV
10-200 49 Multi-ang pointing capability
USA
& G
ERM
AN
Y SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission)
NASA JPL, USA and DLR, Germany Feb 2000
Near-global DEM generation
233 km 57° 11 day mission
225
SIR-C HH+VV X-SAR HH+VV
30-90 (abs v.acc 16 m)
17-65