Tool for coverage: Smart software for SAR satellites area coverage optimization and planning

This article illustrates a novel approach for planning user defined Earth´s areas coverage by satellites with Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) payloads, optimizing the strategy related to acquisition scheduling. A dedicated coverage planning algorithm is implemented in a user-friendly proprietary software called Tool For Coverage (TFC). The TFC user has the freedom to configure any Earth Observation (EO) space mission with SAR satellites, defining the characteristics of the satellite such as the orbit, the parameters of the SAR beams, the operational modes and the Area of Interest to be covered. In a short time, TFC allows to obtain optimal acquisitions lists that satisfies the total coverage of that area.