Single Range Matching Filtering for Space Debris Radar Imaging

In the recent literature, only single-range Doppler interferometry (SRDI) has been considered for radar imaging of space debris with dimensions smaller than the radar range resolution. Considering the typical trajectories and dynamics of space debris, a single-range matching filtering (SDMF) approach is proposed in this letter. SDMF permits obtaining a 2-D image of space debris by using range unit cross-range echo data and by matched filtering the signals with different turning radii. The analysis and simulations show that, compared with SRDI, the proposed approach has less computational load and better images, particularly, for targets with smaller size.