Space-Missile Borne Bistatic SAR Geometry and Imaging Properties Analysis

As a special bistatic configuration, space-missile borne bistatic synthetic aperture radar (SMB-BiSAR) is proposed, which has many potential applications in precision detection and guidance. Compared with traditional bistatic SAR, SMB bistatic SAR has complicated structure, and the imaging performance should be analyzed. In this paper, the geometric model of SMB-BiSAR is constructed in the reference target local (RTL) coordinate system firstly. Then, the range history is introduced with the vector notation. According to the range history, the Doppler properties and 2-D resolution are derived by using gradient method, and the forward-looking ability is demonstrated, which would guide the subsequent research. The simulations verify the validity of the analysis method.