BridgeSat has announced a set of agreements to provide space laser terminals and data services to ICEYE, the world's first commercial microsatellite
synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) constellation, the company said.
The heart and soul of Magellan is an imaging system known as
synthetic-aperture radar.
The second half examines radar imaging, covering wave propagation in two and three dimensions, inverse
synthetic-aperture radar, antennas, and related techniques.
The craft's primary goal is to map the planet's surface, using
synthetic-aperture radar and a radar altimeter that measures the ups and downs of Venus' topography.
Most recently, a pair of orbiters arrived there in October, 1983, equipped with
synthetic-aperture radar to penetrate the clouds and probe the torrid surface below....
Magellan carries only a single scientific instrument--a
synthetic-aperture radar system expected to send back more data than have all of the instruments aboard all of Magellan's U.S.
Other upgrades in the works for the Aurora include addition of a ground-moving-target indicator
synthetic-aperture radar according to Lieutenant Colonel Don Henry, section head within the Directorate of Air Requirements responsible for the AIMP.
Specifications call for a dual-mode radar, providing
synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) and a moving-target indicator (MTI); a lightweight antenna array with extensive onboard processing capability; containerized tactical ground stations (both vehicle- and shelter-based); an airframe capable of carrying six crewmen at an operational altitude of 42-45,000 ft.
The current contract calls for
synthetic-aperture radar and optical sensor packages, but adding signals- and electronics-intelligence (SIGINT) and ELINT, respectively) suites will require a change in the program.
The
synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) aboard the aircraft has been augmented with inverse-SAR and maritime-search modes, as well as a maritime moving target indicator.