Technology challenges in affordable space based radar

Abstract

The US Air Force came to the conclusion in a 1995 migration to space study that there are no technical impediments to moving tactical surveillance Radar to space. The main issue is the high cost of current space system designs - the Air Force must develop technologies that make these systems more affordable. Several examples of cost effective satellite systems have been demonstrated in recent years: the most notable being the Iridium communications constellation. With this motivation, the enabling technologies for a new class of surveillance Radar satellites for ground and airborne moving targets is being examined. A timetable for this development was set with the objective of technology readiness by 2005 for the ground surveillance mission, and 2010 for the air surveillance mission. This paper will outline the methodology and rationale for the critical enabling technologies needed for Space Based Radar.