Space-based moving target positioning using radar with a switched aperture antenna

Ground moving target indication (GMTI) by space based radar can effectively only be performed with a multi- aperture / multi-channel system or a satellite cluster [1]. To keep weight, power consumption, data rate and costs low, the technique of switching subapertures from pulse to pulse has been proposed. While the detection performance using STAP (space-time adaptive processing) has been analysed in several publications, the estimation performance and the mechanisms leading to good or bad aperture switching strategies, have not yet been treated sufficiently. In fact, aperture partitions well suited for detection must not necessarily be good for estimation. This paper is thought as a contribution to fill the knowledge gaps concerning repositioning algorithms and performance analysis.