Calibration and peformance analysis of the X-SAR system

In April 1994 the X-SAR was flown as pact of the first SIR-C/X-SAR space radar laboratory mission on the Space Shuttle. The author´s institute is responsible for the calibration of all X-SAR data products. Before the mission the author performed a detailed analysis of the overall system to localize the main error sources and developed algorithms and procedures to correct these errors. During the mission the authors has been running a rather big calibration campaign. Some 30 colleagues were involved in the deployment and operation of calibration receivers and external reference targets. Post mission activities include the determination of the antenna pattern and the absolute calibration factor as well as detailed performance analyses.