Radar Technologies for Earth Remote Sensing From CubeSat Platforms | IEEE Journals & Magazine | IEEE Xplore

Radar Technologies for Earth Remote Sensing From CubeSat Platforms


Abstract:

Space-based radar observations have transformed our understanding of Earth over the last several decades. Driven by increasingly complex science questions, space radar mi...Show More

Abstract:

Space-based radar observations have transformed our understanding of Earth over the last several decades. Driven by increasingly complex science questions, space radar missions have grown ever more sophisticated with costs rising often to hundreds of millions of dollars. At the other end of the cost and complexity spectrum, CubeSats have emerged in recent years as a disruptive innovation in the satellite sector and are now considered a means to address targeted science questions in a rapid and affordable manner. CubeSats enable new kinds of constellation-based Earth science observations not previously affordable with traditional spacecraft. Constellations of low-cost sensors provide both global spatial and high temporal coverage. As such, CubeSats are not only viable platforms to address current Earth science goals, but they also open a new realm of possibilities for science advancement and unique applications. Radar instruments have often been regarded as unsuitable for small satellite platforms due to their traditionally large size, weight, and power (SWaP). Burgeoning missions such as Radar in a CubeSat (RainCube) and CubeSat Imaging Radar for Earth Science (CIRES), being developed by Jet Propulsion Laboratory and SRI International, respectively, and funded by NASA’s Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO), are slated to dispel this notion. The key to the simplification and miniaturization of the radar subsystems in a manner that still offers compelling science and applications is 1) component technological advancement; and 2) an integrated instrument architecture and mission design that exploits the capabilities offered by CubeSat platforms. This paper reviews the state-of-the-art and future developments of CubeSat radar missions for Earth remote sensing and the implications for NASA’s current and future Earth Science program. The key enabling technologies for radio frequency (RF), digital, and antennas are surveyed, as well as the evolution of the CubeSat avioni...
Published in: Proceedings of the IEEE ( Volume: 106, Issue: 3, March 2018)
Page(s): 404 - 418
Date of Publication: 09 February 2018

ISSN Information:

Funding Agency:


I. Introduction

CubeSats, also known as U-class spacecrafts, are a type of miniaturized satellites that are made up of multiple Us, or cm cubic units, with a maximum mass of about 1.33 kg per U. CubeSats are installed into dispensers, typically carried into orbit as secondary payloads, and deployed in an orbit similar to the primary payload. For Earth remote sensing, the flight systems can be deployed from the International Space Station (ISS) after being delivered as soft-stowed cargo aboard one of the resupply missions. This quick, abundant, and relatively cheap access to space has elevated the importance of CubeSats for demonstrating technologies and collecting science measurements.

References

References is not available for this document.