DLR Space Administration
mm Radar4Space:
A new imaging technology based on mm-wave radar was developed in a joint research project with Goethe University Frankfurt, Ferdinand-Braun-Institut, Leibniz-Institut für Höchstfrequenztechnik in Berlin and Friedrich-Alexander-University in Erlangen. It enables a service satellite to detect and precisely locate other satellites or space debris. The University of Frankfurt currently designs radar sensors with a modular architecture using this technology. These sensors can be installed at various places on a service satellite. Antenna und front-end electronics are integrated in compact modules, only the imagine data processing takes place in a central module outside of the antenna module. The system can detect other objects at a distance of 1000 m. In the close-up range (under 20 m) it is possible to create 3D pictures in real-time.
PDF: Real-Time Data Acquisition and Signal Processing of a Multistatic mm-Wave Radar System