Design Approaches for Micro-SARs

In pursuing increased timeliness through establishing SAR satellite constellations various methods of compaction and mass reduction for an individual SAR satellite have been considered by a range of initiatives. The trade-off between getting a number of small satellites for an attractive launch price into target orbits and still featuring performance characteristics of the SAR sensor that meets market expectations is being conducted by numerous system design teams. The presentation addresses some of the key pros and cons of a range of design and technology approaches, and the opportunities expected from the rather short innovation cycles for related satellite designs.