Processing of scan SAR mode data for Radarsat

Radarsat is an Earth observing SAR mission led by the Canadian Space Administration (CSA). NASA is participating as a partner and is responsible for the planning, processing, archiving and distribution of data collected at the Alaska SAR Facility (ASF). Among the five Radarsat operating modes, scan SAR represents a novel approach in data collection. The scanning beam data taking arrangement effectively acts like a burst mode radar allowing changing radar parameters from burst to burst much like the Venus mapping radar Magellan. With successive bursts 'scanned' from near to far range, swath coverage up to 500 km is achieved by properly combining images from these bursts. The paper presents a scan SAR data processor straw-man design that blueprints on the existing Magellan processing concept. Topics discussed include processing parameters derivation, signal compression algorithm selection, geometric rectification process and radiometric compensation strategy.<>