Systems Engineering and Electronics ›› 2024, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (11): 3671-3683.doi: 10.12305/j.issn.1001-506X.2024.11.09

• Sensors and Signal Processing • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Analysis of high resolution imaging for space orbit targets by space-borne ISAR

Yifei LIU1,2, Weidong YU1,*, Shenghui YANG1,2, Shiqiang LI1   

  1. 1. Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
    2. School of Electronic, Electrical and Communication Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China
  • Received:2023-11-20 Online:2024-10-28 Published:2024-11-30
  • Contact: Weidong YU

Abstract:

Achieving high-resolution imaging of space orbit targets, which constitutes a crucial component of space situational awareness programs. The concept of space-borne inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) for achieving high-resolution imaging of space targets is discussed in this paper. Methods to reduce the amount of space-borne ISAR echo data are studied based on the relative motion between radar and space orbit targets. The limiting factors affecting the imaging time period of space-borne ISAR on space targets are analyed, and formulas for noise equivalent sigma zero (NESZ) are derived considering the height difference between the target's orbit and the scanning angle of space-borne ISAR beams. The study explores the achievable imaging time window for azimuth resolution by using NESZ to measure the signal to noise ratio (SNR) of the echoes within the imaging time window, thereby providing guidance for the design of space-borne ISAR systems. Furthermore, this paper derives the expression of the echoes from space orbit targets for space-borne ISAR and investigates the causes of two-dimensional image defocusing. A specific compensation model for the two-dimensional phase error in ISAR images is proposed, and the correctness of the analysis is verified through simulation results.

Key words: space-borne inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR), space orbit target, high resolution imaging

CLC Number: 

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