Discreet Space-Domain Awareness Through Dual-Faced AESA SAR Satellites

As the number of LEO and MEO satellites continues to grow exponentially, the need for thorough and accurate space domain awareness (SDA) becomes more urgent. RFBI proposes a Phase 1 SBIR that evaluates the feasibility of a dual-purpose solution which provides space-based synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery of the earth, while also yielding covert SDA sensing and tracking, specifically for the US Space Force Space Systems Command, Space Domain Awareness and Combat Power office. Due to the detectability of the X-band SAR sensor, adversaries will believe that each satellite is simply another commercial SAR satellite, which gives the DOD an advantage when it comes . The solution will be built upon the X-band SAR payload that RFBI is already developing and testing, with the addition of a K/Ka band array on the back of the SAR array that will face the “sky” and discreetly detect dark objects in higher orbits, the operation of which will not be detectable from the ground due to atmospheric absorption of the RF energy. The SAR imaging sensor will be capable of providing