Ground Moving Target Indication With Tandem Satellite Constellations

Ground moving target indication (GMTI) from space by existing dual-channel radar systems such as TerraSAR-X and RADARSAT-2 has been shown to perform only insufficiently with respect to the relocation error of targets to their true ground position. Only two parallel receiver channels are too little to suppress the severe ground clutter and to estimate the target's parameters. Although this deficiency may partly be alleviated through antenna aperture switching, the resulting positioning accuracy is still not adequate for effective traffic monitoring purposes. Satisfactory results are only achievable with extended apertures, primarily with satellite constellations. This letter presents a statistical analysis of the performance of different concepts for cooperating back-to-back flying satellite systems. Particularly in anticipation of TanDEM-X, which will form the first operational GMTI-capable coherent synthetic aperture radar constellation after its launch in 2009.