A low frequency SAR for Mars observation

Radar imaging of Mars is very attractive. Radar observation at several incidence angles allows the relief to be extracted and the use of low radar frequency can provide information on the subsurface structure. A feasibility study of a synthetic aperture radar able to observe the whole of the planet Mars has been conducted by ALCATEL ESPACE for the French Space Agency (CNES). The big challenge of such a planetary radar is to minimize mass and power consumption while including an efficient way to transmit the enormous SAR data from the observed planet to the Earth. The results presented show that this objective can be obtained by using first, a single antenna shared between the SAR and the payload telemetry, and second an on-board SAR processor