KaRIn on SWOT: modeling and simulation of near-nadir Ka-band interferometric SAR images

Abstract

The principal instrument of the wide-swath altimetry mission SWOT is KaRIn, a Ka-band interferometric SAR system operating on near-nadir swaths on both sides of the satellite track. Due to the short wavelength and particular observation geometry, there are very limited reports on the backscattering from natural surfaces. Simulators that cover both radiometric and geometric aspects are therefore developed in the framework of the CNES phase 0 and A studies of SWOT. This article presents the modeling and simulation approaches that have been adopted, and shows some preliminary simulation results.