Landing Radar Simulation with Digital Terrain Models

Abstract

A radar for navigation in future Japanese lunar/planetary landing missions is being developed in the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The C-band pulse radar provides not only altitude information but also relative velocity against the surface. In this paper, detailed design of a Doppler simulator for the landing radar is described. The simulation accompanied with Digital Terrain Models (DTM) is quite effective because it can analyze accuracy of the velocity measurements while taking account of terrain effects. The validity of the simulation is quantified by comparing with the results of actual field experiments. Furthermore, the performance of the landing radar over lunar terrains is evaluated by the simulation with the KAGUYA DTM products of lunar surfaces.