3-D Baseline Error Estimation for Distributed Small Satellites Based on Image Registration

In distributed small satellites, the existence of the baseline error will affect the realization of the three functions: synthetic aperture radar imaging, ground moving target indication and altitude measure. A new 3-D baseline error estimation method for distributed small satellites is proposed in this paper. This method separates the along-track baseline and the cross-track baselines through image registration and estimates the two kinds of baseline error respectively. The effect that the correlative factors have on the estimation precision is also analyzed. Finally, its validity is testified through computer simulations.