Spaceborne SAR antenna technology and the Shuttle Imaging Radar-B (SIR-B) antenna development

Shuttleborne SAR systems have been developed jointly by NASA and JPL for remote sensing research. NASA initially entered the field of spaceborne imaging in June 1978 with the launch of Seasat. In November 1981 the Space Agency launched the Shuttle Imaging Radar-A (SIR-A) and SIR-B was lifted into orbit in October 1984. One of the key technical developments in this program is the microstrip planar antenna used to synthesize a large array for high ground resolution. This paper discusses the technology development of these spaceborne antennas with emphasis on the Shuttle Imaging Radar-B (SIR-B) system.