Title
Interferometric Orbit Determination System for Geosynchronous SAR Missions: Experimental Proof of Concept
Abstract
Future Geosynchronous Synthetic Aperture Radar (GEOSAR) missions will provide permanent monitoring of continental areas of the planet with revisit times of less than 24 h. Several GEOSAR missions have been studied in the USA, Europe, and China with different applications, including water cycle monitoring and early warning of disasters. GEOSAR missions require unprecedented orbit determination precision in order to form focused Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images from Geosynchronous Orbit (GEO). A precise orbit determination technique based on interferometry is proposed, including a proof of concept based on an experimental interferometer using three antennas separated 10-15 m. They provide continuous orbit observations of present communication satellites operating at GEO as illuminators of opportunity. The relative phases measured between the receivers are used to estimate the satellite position. The experimental results prove the interferometer is able to track GEOSAR satellites based on the transmitted signals. This communication demonstrates the consistency and feasibility of the technique in order to foster further research with longer interferometric baselines that provide observables delivering higher orbital precision.
Year
DOI
Venue
2022
10.3390/rs14194871
REMOTE SENSING
Keywords
DocType
Volume
interferometry, orbit determination, GEOSAR
Journal
14
Issue
ISSN
Citations 
19
2072-4292
0
PageRank 
References 
Authors
0.34
0
7