Exploiting ICEYE Satellites as Illuminator of Opportunity for Passive Radar Target Detection
conference paper
This paper investigates the feasibility of using ICEYE satellite signals for passive radar target detection. Passive radar systems utilize existing radio signals known as Illuminators of Opportunity (IoO) and are increasingly used in both civil and military applications. Whereas ground-based transmitters, like FM radio, DAB, and DVB-T are commonly employed but provide limited coverage, spaceborne illuminators, such as DVB-S, provide global coverage but come with limitations like low power and/or narrow bandwidth. This study explores the potential of constellations of satellites equipped with Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), specifically ICEYE, for passive radar applications. The PaRMeSTO trials (September 2024, Germany) involved coordinated passive radar measurements to validate the use of spaceborne IoO. The results demonstrate the suitability of exploiting ICEYE signals for passive radar, highlighting their high power and large bandwidth, which are essential for effective detection of targets like UAVs and ships.
Topics
TNO Identifier
1019342
Publisher
IEEE
Source title
IEEE Radar Conference 2025
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