Characterizing the Mutual Terrain Scattered Interference in Spaceborne SAR Images under Different Terrains

Mutual terrain scattered interference (MTSI) has been reported as an emerging threat due to the proliferation of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite constellations. It occurs due to the time, frequency, and space overlapping between adjacent satellites, which generates obvious artifacts in SAR images. One of the critical impacting factors is the process of signal scattering via different terrains. In this paper, the impact of different terrains on the appearance of artifacts is characterized. First, the model of MTSI scenario is established, and the echo signal model is derived. Then, it investigates the MTSI in spaceborne SAR images under different terrains like mountain, urban, desert, and sea through simulated experiments. The experiments show that different terrains would produce various artifact patterns.