First Results From an Experimental ScanSAR-GMTI Mode on RADARSAT-2

This paper demonstrates for the first time successful GMTI from a space-based SAR employing two parallel receive channels in the flight direction that operates in a scanSAR mode. ScanSAR in conjuction with GMTI offers wide-area monitoring of moving objects, an important prerequisite for many applications, for instance, maritime domain awareness. The multichannel capability to suppress background clutter permits improved detectability in challenging environments, such as vessel detection in near range or high sea states, and additionally offers the possibility to estimate target speeds and headings.