A high performance low-cost SAR system loaded on small satellite platform

Due to its all-weather, day and night imaging capability, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is playing a very important role in earth observation. Satellites loaded with SAR payload are widely used in military and civilian applications due to its high resolution, wide swath imaging and global coverage capabilities. However, the applilcation of SAR satellites is severely restricted by its costs and weights. In this paper, a low-cost payload platform integrated SAR system with high resolution is proposed. The instruments of the system is described and the performance of the system is illustrated.