An experimental network analyzer based ISAR system for studying SAR fundamentals

Earth observation from airborne and spaceborne platforms using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) has provided scientists and researchers with a deeper understanding of the planet for geological studies, weather forecasting, and disaster mitigation, among others. Aiming to develop our own spaceborne synthetic aperture radar for the purpose of environmental remote sensing, we have a program to test our system subcomponents on airborne and ground based systems. This paper presents the design and testing of a wideband inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) system. This work will lead to the investigation of generating images from circularly polarized (CP) transmits and receive signals, improvement of related imaging algorithms for CP signals and suitable antenna design. Data measurement setup was constructed in an anechoic chamber with the use of a vector network analyzer (VNA) and automated rotary turntable to mount targets.