Estimating the design parameters of a space-based radio surveillance system

Currently, small spacecraft with both optoelectronic and radar imaging equipment are becoming increasingly common. The purpose of the work is to improve the efficiency of preliminary assessment of achievable characteristics of radio surveillance payloads at the initial stages of design of small spacecraft. The paper describes the advantages of using radar imaging equipment, as well as the main trends in its development. The main areas of application of spacecraft with radar of different frequency ranges are given; the advantages of each frequency range are described. The methodology of determining the parameters of the trajectory signal when the platform moves in a circular orbit, taking into account the assumptions associated with estimating the size of the irradiation zone in azimuth is considered. Based on the considered methodology, a program is developed in Python programming language that makes it possible to estimate the length of synthesized aperture, synthesis time and azimuthal resolution of the target equipment on the basis of mass and dimensional characteristics of the antenna and spacecraft orbit parameters. A graphical user interface has been developed for the program which allows the user to interactively vary the initial data for calculation and evaluate the graphical representation of the result. The developed software system can be used for calculation of the main design parameters of small spacecraft with radar imaging equipment at the preliminary design stage.