Performance evaluation of radio frequency of Cassini Radar

Discusses the approach followed in the verification of the performance of the Radio Frequency Electronics Subsystem (RFES) of the Cassini Radar and the main results from test activity. The Cassini mission is a joint multilateral cooperation among different space agencies to send a spacecraft toward Saturn and its moons. The Italian Space Agency (ASI) has awarded to Alenia Spazio (S.p.A.) the design, integration and test of the radio frequency section of the radar, while the digital section is under the responsibility of Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The multimode radar is designed to implement different functions: imaging, altimetry, scatterometry and radiometry. The high degree of flexibility of the instrument demands complex testing equipment. The final aim is to condition both transmission and receiving signals of the radio frequency in such a way that it can be digitized. Data are, then, analyzed through a custom signal processing software