Pre-Flight SAOCOM-1A SAR Performance Assessment by Outdoor Campaign

• Main Authors: Davide Giudici, Andrea Monti Guarnieri, Juan Pablo Cuesta Gonzalez
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2017-07-01
• Series: Remote Sensing
• Subjects: SAR; pre-flight testing; SAR performance
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/9/7/729

In the present paper, we describe the design, execution, and the results of an outdoor experimental campaign involving the Engineering Model of the first of the two Argentinean L-band Synthetic Aperture Radars (SARs) of the Satélite Argentino de Observación con Microondas (SAOCOM) mission, SAOCOM-1A. The experiment’s main objectives were to test the end-to-end SAR operation and to assess the instrument amplitude and phase stability as well as the far-field antenna pattern, through the illumination of a moving target placed several kilometers away from the SAR. The campaign was carried out in Bariloche, Argentina, during June 2016. The experiment was successful, demonstrating an end-to-end readiness of the SAOCOM-SAR functionality in realistic conditions. The results showed an excellent SAR signal quality in terms of amplitude and phase stability.