This paper develops a radar system which is capable of measuring the lateral dimension of satellites* Such information contributes toward the identification of space objects arid assessing their missions. The lateral dimension of a satellite can be inferred from the resolution of the angular separation of scatterers on that object.
Fundamentally, the technique employs doppler data processing in such a manner as to effectively synthesize a large radar antenna* A time invariant angle was formulated from the orbital trajectory and is the basic parameter xvhich is measured to determine the spatial separation of scatterers on the satellite* This is a signal processing technique which in a certain sense may be viewed as the inverse of the familiar ground mapping "synthetic aperture". However, it is more complex in that unlike the ground-mapping aircraft, the dynamics of the snace object are unknown or are statistical quantities. This analysis does present a radar system and a signal processing method which is capable of the extreme angular resolution requirement for high orbiting vehicles that would otherwise be-beyond the course resolvability of conventional radar techniques.