Wide Coverage, fine Resolution, Geosynchronous SAR for Atmosphere and Terrain Observation

The paper proposes a COMmunication SATellite (COMSAT) compatible Synthetic Aperture RADAR (SAR), with regional coverage and continuous observations. Such a system could provide deformations and water-vapour maps over regions of hundreds of kilometers with resolutions in time-space otherwise impossible with that coverage. The basic monostatic concept is reviewed together with its multistatic evolution, capable of exploiting the present clusters of COMSATs at the same longitudinal node. Attention is brought to the most critical issues, such as atmospheric turbulence, target coherence, and clutter decorrelation.