ISAR Imaging of Satellites in Space – Simulations and Measurements

The Microwaves and Radar Institute of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) has developed and constructed an experimental radar system called IoSiS (Imaging of Satellites in Space), being presently in the commissioning phase. The overall goal of the system is to research concepts for an advanced acquisition of high-resolution radar images of objects in a low earth orbit (LEO). For performance estimation, a software tool has been implemented that is able to simulate all the relevant parts of the imaging system. Using that tool, the hardware setup can be optimized concurrently during development and construction. This paper outlines the comparison between simulation results and the obtained measurement results of real space objects. Furthermore, simulation results are discussed that show an interferometric image of a satellite obtained by a suggested bistatic imaging system.