A RF model of an active array antenna for a spaceborne SAR

LSAR is to be a space-based synthetic aperture radar (SAR) capable of high resolution imaging of the surface of the Earth. Applications for LSAR include the observation of oil slicks, ice packs, shipping lanes, industrial pollution, forests and agricultural usage. LSAR will travel in a low Earth orbit focusing a narrow radiation pattern upon the Earth in the plane of travel and a series of wide beams in a plane transverse to this. Whereas the narrow along track or azimuth beam formed from the long antenna dimension is fixed normal to the spacecraft, the wide elevation beams formed from the short antenna dimension have the ability to scan over the surface of the Earth.