Multistatic SAR Imaging: First Results of a Four Phase Center Experiment with TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X

Abstract:
Multichannel synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging offers the possibility to overcome the pulse repetition frequency (PRF) constraints inherent to single-channel SAR systems. The multichannel approach enables the acquisition of wide swathes with high azimuth resolution. Using a constellation or swarm of small satellites, a cost efficient, fault-tolerant system can be envisaged. This paper describes the first results of a multistatic four phase center experiment conducted with TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X. The experiment is intended to increase the know-how for the design of future distributed SAR systems and demonstrate their capabilities. Key challenges are addressed, the experimental acquisition is described and an evaluation approach is presented. Finally, first results focusing on the azimuth ambiguity performance are shown.