TABLE OF CONTENTS What progress has been made so far in processing SAR images is largely due to the development of civilian satellite radars ERS and RADARSAT that have helped spread images among the various remote sensing communities. However, numerous other systems have been launched in the past 30 years. While most of them have remained classified as defense-related, several others have made it possible to test the broad diversity of radar imagery and its applications by proposing various resolutions, frequencies and polarizations.
Table 3.1 is a basic characteristic recap of the five main families of past and current spaceborne SAR acquiring commercially available images.
| ERS-1&2 | RADARSAT | JERS-1 | SEASAT | ALMAZ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band Polarization Frequency Wavelength Antenna B ? Sampling PRF Look angle Swath | C VV 5.3 GHz 5.66 cm 10 m 1 m 15.55 MHz 37.12 ?s 18.96 MHz 1,640 ?1,720 Hz 23 100 km | C HH 5.3 GHz 5.66 cm 15 m 1.5 m 11.6; 17.3; 30.0 20 ?s 14 ?32 MHz 1,200 ?1,400 Hz 20 to 49 100 to 400 km | L HH 1.275 GHz 23.53 cm 12 m 2.5 m 15 MHz 35 ?s 17.076 MHz 1,500 ?1,600Hz 35 75 km | L HH 1.275 GHz 23.5 cm 10.74 m 2.16 m 19 MHz 33.4 ?s 19 MHz 1,463 ?1,640 Hz 19 to 26 100 km | S HH 3.125 GHz 9.6 cm 15 m 1.5 m ( 2) 50 ns 38 MHz |
