System Requirements and Performance Predictions for L/S/C Band Geosynchronous SAR Interferometry

Geosynchronous synthetic aperture radar (GEO SAR) can provide daily repeat-pass and high coherent image pairs for interferometry. On the area mapped with thousands of kilometers width, GEO InSAR has some overwhelming advantages in disaster management, tectonic mapping and modeling, vegetation and soil moisture mapping. This paper provides an overview of system requirements for three potential bands (L/S/C) of GEO SAR interferometry applications, including orbit determination accuracy, orbit control accuracy, radar ranging accuracy and noise-equivalent backscattering coefficient. Under some appropriate GEO InSAR configurations and parameters, performance predictions of deformation measurement accuracy are given. Results show that lower band GEO InSAR has some lower requirements on satellite orbit measurement, control and maintain accuracy and a higher requirement on radar noise sensitivity instead. It is expected that the deformation measurement accuracy of 2~6 millimeters in local area and 1~3 centimeters in wide area will be available for the three potential bands of GEO InSAR.