The P-band SAR Satellite: Opportunities and Challenges

The P-band frequency is less common in spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems, while has superior abilities on penetration through the vegetation canopy and soil compared with X-, C- and L-bands. As observations from P-band SAR satellite will offer an unique opportunity to estimate forest biomass, map the topography of forest floors and detect buried targets, the demand for such a satellite is getting stronger in China and over the world. This paper aims to report the results we achieved during the feasibility study of P-band SAR satellite, including evaluation of P-band penetration ability with airborne experiments and an overview of applications of P-band SAR data.