Evaluation of design parameters for formation flying SAR

Abstract:
The paper investigates the capabilities of a formation flying SAR (FF-SAR) for Earth observation from space. FF-SAR is a versatile remote sensing concept which is aimed at replacing large and complex monolithic systems and satellites by multiple, very compact, units (e.g. CubeSats), flying in formation, that are able to achieve the same or even better performance. Moreover, FF-SAR enables new observation techniquea that are not possible or not reliable by singel-satellite monolithic missions. The paper presents some tools that can be used to support the selection of design parameters. The tools are applied to a specific realization of an FF-SAR in which a cluster of passive CubeSats is considered using a pre-existing SAR mission as an illuminator or opputunity.