Semi-Active Correlation Radar Employing Satellite-Borne Illumination

This paper describes a semi-active radar system in which the transmitter is carried in a satellite. The satellite transmits a randomly modulated signal. On the ground the radar has two antennas and receivers. One antenna points at the satellite, the other at the target. The signal from the satellite-oriented receiver is delayed and correlated with the satellite signal reflected from the target. The delay corresponding to the peak of the correlation function is used to determine range. It is planned to test this system with various communications satellites.