Using Distributed Small Satellite System to Improve Azimuth Resolution of Spaceborne SAR

After an analysis is made on the difficulties of traditional spaceborne SAR system in azimuth resolution improvement, a method which utilizes distributed small satellites to solve these difficulties is proposed. In this method, by synthesizing coherently the beams radiated by several satellites antennas, a large synthetic aperture is achieved, and the azimuth resolution is improved. The principle and implementation steps are presented in detail. The computer simulation shows the effectiveness of this method. The problems to be considered further about this method are addressed at last.