Processing of scan SAR mode data for Radarsat

Radarsat is an Earth observing SAR mission led by the Canadian Space Administration (CSA). NASA is participating as a partner and is responsible for the planning, processing, archiving and distribution of data collected at the Alaska SAR Facility (ASF). Among the five Radarsat operating modes, scan SAR represents a novel approach in data collection. The scanning beam data taking arrangement effectively acts like a burst mode radar allowing changing radar parameters from burst to burst much like the Venus mapping radar Magellan. With successive bursts `scanned´ from near to far range, swath coverage up to 500 km is achieved by properly combining images from these bursts. The paper presents a scan SAR data processor straw-man design that blueprints on the existing Magellan processing concept. Topics discussed include processing parameters derivation, signal compression algorithm selection, geometric rectification process and radiometric compensation strategy