LEO to GEO-SAR Interferences: Modelling and Performance Evaluation

Abstract

This paper proposes a statistical model to evaluate the impact of the signal backscattered by low Earth orbiting (LEO) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and received by GEO-stationary orbiting SAR. The model properly accounts for the bistatic backscatter, the number of LEO-SAR satellites and their duty cycles. The presence of many sun-synchronous, dawn-dusk satellites creates a 24 h periodic pattern in interference that should be considered in the acquisition plan of future geostationary SAR. The model, implemented by a numerical simulator, allows also the prediction of performance in future scenarios of many LEO-SAR. Examples and evaluations are made here for X band.

Keywords

• geostationary SAR
• synthetic aperture radar
• radio frequency interference
• bistatic scattering