A cost efficient spaceborne SAR imagery design tool (SARGUS)

Satellite simulators for Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) can be categorized into two main classes according to its functional use: System Engineering Simulator or Mission Simulator. A system engineering simulator provides a high fidelity infrastructure for SAR system designers to determine or adjust the parameters of the system to realize the requirements. A Mission Simulator behaves as the whole system for mission planning or training purposes. Such a simulator is a valuable and low cost way for defining the optimum mission parameters for satisfying the needs of the user and training the operators. In this paper we will present a simulator which aims to combine these two main types of simulators in a functionally feasible and maintainable way. The system engineering simulator will provide the data required during the design phase and also it will provide a baseline to extend the Mission Simulator Capabilities for detailed mission analysis or training. At the same time the Mission Simulator will improve the engineering simulator in the early phases of the project to give an insight about the mission to the designers of the payload.