A new Adaptive High Resolution Wide Area SAR
with Multi-feed Reflector Antenna
Hans Martin Braun
University of Stuttgart & RST Radar Systemtechnik AG
Ebenaustr. 8, 9413 Oberegg, Switzerland
Abstract RST Radar Systemtechnik AG is involved in
design of new Satellite SAR Systems for several decades now.
RSTs specialty is the design of Satellite SAR with very high
performance-to-cost ratio. The newest activity was directed
towards a Reflector Antenna based SAR satellite allowing a
wide area viewing combined with very high resolution.
The RF-output power situation can be solved by
parallelization of TWTAs on one hand side through a Buttler
Matrix and on the other hand by operating parallel feeds in
elevation, where the output power combination is performed
at the Reflector. The latter easily solves the Multipaction
Problem, because the high RF-fields are not routed through a
waveguide, couplers and circulators being Multipaction
sensitive.
Finally, the Link-Budget can be improved by a SCORE
(Scan On Receive) operation operating the SAR with several
feed horns in elevation switching between them synchronized
with the incoming Radar echoes.
The paper will provide an overview on the next generation of
high-RF-bandwidth SAR combined with wide swath and
adaptive switching between elevation angles. It gives an in-sight
into present planning of next generation of SAR Satellites under
the umbrella of Design-to-Cost.
Index TermsSpace-borne SAR, SLIP-SAR, SCAN-SAR,
SCORE, Double-Beam Reflector Antenna.
I. INTRODUCTION
In the past, Wide Swath viewing and high resolution was
the domain of Phased Array SAR. Phased Array SAR antenna
is composed of a huge number of T/R-Modules resulting in
high mass, high cost and extreme thermal dissipation
problems. Such SAR systems could provide either high
resolution with small swathwidth or wide swath viewing with
low resolution. The electrical beam steering allows the Phase
Array SAR to switch between elevation angles and acquire
small high-resolution-pictures out of its area of access.
The solution with Reflector SAR antennas being
significantly cheaper than a Phased Array solution is the use
of multi-feed system. The new SAR Satellite is flying in a
relatively high orbit with a large antenna diameter. This is
feasible due to a successful technology development in the
area of foldable reflector antennas. Reflectors with diameters
978-1-4673-7297-8/15/$31.00 2015
c IEEE
of more than 4m are available in future. Such systems can
cover a swathwidth of about 50km per feed horn. In case of 4
feeds in elevation combined with a Buttler Matrix a swath of
197km with a resolution of 0.5m can be covered using the
SLIP-SCORE-SCAN-SAR Mode (S3-SAR Mode). A multi-
feed Reflector Antenna described in Ref. 1.
II. SENSOR DESIGN
The SAR Sensor is designed for high resolution and wide
Swathwidth. The goal is to get a resolution of 0.5m within a
Swath of close to 200km meeting the Signal to Noise Ratio
SNR requirements for security applications that is >10dB for a
minimum Radar Cross Section RCS of 0.25m2. This is only
possible by combining SLIP-SAR with SCORE, DBTX and
SCAN-SAR operations. SLIP-SAR is the next generation of
SPOT-SAR, where the SAR antenna beam is rotated against
the satellite velocity in order to allow a longer integration time
per resolution cell. DBTX means that the scene is illuminated
by a Double-Beam shaped transmit pattern fed by two
independent feed horns assemblies connected to a High Power
Amplifier each. SCORE means Scan-on-Receive, where a high
gain receive antenna beam small in elevation is scanned with
the incoming echo signal in order to get an input power as high
as possible. And last, but not least, SCAN-SAR switches
between adjacent Swaths in order to reach a wide total
Swathwidth. The latter requires that the SLIP-SAR footprint
velocity is selected so low that the integration time for each
Swath is high enough still allowing meeting the specified
azimuth resolution. The design was done for Security
Applications, where single polarization is sufficient.
The SAR block diagram is shown below. It consists of an
Electronics Unit containing the SAR control computer, the
power distribution, the TM/TC parts, the frequency generation
including the USO (Ultra-stable Mother-Oscillator), the pulse
generation and the up-conversion, the Tx-Part containing the
Phase Shifters used for output channel switching, High Power
Amplification, the Buttler Matrix and the waveguide routing
via Tx/Rx-Circulators to the antenna feed horns, and the Rx-
Part containing the LNAs close to the feed horns on receive
side of the circulators, the Rx-switch matrix, the receive
channels with digitally controlled amplifiers, down converters
87
and I/Q-detectors, and the Data Unit for storage and/or The Transmit pattern realized by this design is shown
downlink. below indicating the Double-Beam configuration, where the
left peak is generated by 2 feed horns handling 14kW output



power and the right peak by the adjacent set of two horns with





14kW.





Transmit Pattern Shape




Relative Echo Power [dB]















Fig. 1: SAR Sensor Block Diagram 
























The SCAN-SAR needs switching of the SAR antenna "
 !
!
" !!
!


transmit beam. For cost reasons a multi-feed reflector antenna

was selected instead of the standard phased array. 4 Swaths Fig. 2: Shape of Tx-Pattern
were selected providing a total swath of 196km. Every sub- Sum Pattern
swath was illuminated by 4 feed horns, where always 2

Relative Echo Power [dB]







adjacent horns were fed by a high-power output of a 4-channel 








Buttler Matrix split by a 3-dB H-field power divider providing  






equal-phase outputs (see Fig. 4). Each high power output 



















channel of a Buttler Matrix was generated by combination of "
 !
!
" !!
!


the signals from 4 HPAs of 4kW output power each. Assuming

a Buttler Matrix Loss of 0.5dB, each output channel generates Fig. 3: Sum-Pattern with 4 Rx-beams
more than 14kW output Power. In case of Multipaction Xxx shows the NESZ that can be reached by the following
problems with 14kW power, the alternative can be using 2 sensor parameters.
Matrices in parallel, each handling 8kW output power.
Operations Mode: S3-SAR
However this would need 4 HPAs with 2kW output power
Satellite Altitude: 1000 km
needing new development based on existing HPAs derived
Mean Incidence Angle: 35
from SAR-Lupe TWTAs matched to a longer operation time
(slight reduction of output power). Two Buttler Matrices are Range of Off-Nadir Angles for the 197km Swath:
operated in parallel feeding the four SCAN-SAR Dual-Beam 27 30
Pattern. The SAR Antenna is a Parabolic Reflector Antenna Antenna Diameter: 5.2m
with 16 feed horns separated in elevation. Illumination in Azimuth: 100%
The transmit pulse is of course generated in the SAR Illumination in Elevation Rx: 100%
electronics unit (not shown) and fed to the HPAs routed Illumination in Elevation Tx: 50%
through the phased shifters shown below. Dual Beam Tx illumination
The 16 feed horns are used for the SCORE principle. The Transmit Frequency: 9.65 GHz
Scan is changed to a Switch turning into a Switch-on- RF-Bandwidth: 700 MHz
Receive operations, because the Multi-feed Reflector is Ground Resolution: 0.5m x 0.5m
switching the beams rather than scanning (see Fig. 5). Image Size in 10min ops: 180 x 196 km2
Transmitting and receiving is using the same feed horn. The Pulse length: 25 s
transmit channel uses two of them in parallel for transmission Output Power per Tx-beam: 14 kW
into a single pattern illuminating only a part of the elevation Duty Cycle: <10%
dimension of the reflector providing a broader beam. The SNR for RCSmin=0.25m2: 16dB 22dB
receive channel uses single horns; 4 for each Scan-SAR Sub-
DC power from BUS: <10kW (ops)
swath, where 2 channels are subsequently used in order to take
DC power from BUS: <50W (stand by)
care of the echo overlaps between the Receive Beams. Each
Footprint velocity: 300 m/s
horn has a dedicated LNA (Low Noise Amplifier) in front of
the Pin-diode switch matrix for minimizing receiver noise. The Azimuth Angle Range in 10min operations: <37
signals are routed through 2 receive channels in parallel and the III. CONCLUSION AND OUTLOOK
digitized data are led to the data unit for storage and/or for
downlinking. This paper showed how the next step into high-resolution
Each Sub-swath is using 4 feed horns subsequently with wide-swath space-borne SAR observations can look-like. It
overlapping operation between the neighboring antenna beams combined the SAR operational modes SLIP-SAR, SCAN-
due to the duration of the pulse. After switching to the next SAR, and SCORE-SAR into a new mode called S3-SAR. The
Sub-swath, the adjacent set of 4 horns is used. use of a Buttler Matrix, Feed Horn combination and Dual-
The operation of the parabolic Reflector makes use of the Beam Reflector Antenna allowed combining existing TWTAs
fact that a beam is pointed in angle, if the respective feed horn and cost effective antenna technologies in order to reach the
is located at different places around the focal center of the high SAR energy level required for high resolution from space
Parabola. over the wide area on ground. It indicates that security

88 2015 IEEE 5th Asia-Pacific Conference on Synthetic Aperture Radar(APSAR)

observation application from space seems to become affordable REFERENCES
in the future. [1] H.M.Braun, Maurizio Lori, Ka-Band Interferometric SAR
Design & Performance, Advanced RF Sensors and Remote
.

!






















 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 







!
!





Fig. 4: Antenna Tx Part Block Diagram (First Sub-swath operations in red)
















 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 














Fig. 5: Antenna Rx Part Block Diagram (active Scan for Sub-swath 1 shown in red)

2015 IEEE 5th Asia-Pacific Conference on Synthetic Aperture Radar(APSAR) 89

 


 

 

Fig. 6: NESZ over Swath of S3-SAR (0.5m res)

90 2015 IEEE 5th Asia-Pacific Conference on Synthetic Aperture Radar(APSAR)