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http://dx.doi.org/10.7780/kjrs.2021.37.3.21

A Study on the Utilization of SAR Microsatellite Constellation for Ship Detection  

Kim, Yunjee (Maritime Safety and Environmental Research Division, Korea Research Institute of Ships & Ocean Engineering)
Kang, Ki-mook (Water Resources Satellite Research Center, K-water Research Institute)
Publication Information
Korean Journal of Remote Sensing / v.37, no.3, 2021 , pp. 627-636 More about this Journal
Abstract
Although many studies on ship detection using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite images are being conducted around the world, there are still very few employing SAR microsatellites, as most of the microsatellites are optical satellites. Recently, the ICEYE and Capella Space have embarked on the development of microsatellites with SAR sensor, and similar projects are being initiated globally in line with the flow of the new space era [e.g., for the ICEYE: 18 satellites (~2021); Capella Space: 36 satellites (~2023); and the Coast Guard SAR: 32 satellites in the early development stage]. In preparation for these new systems, it is important to review the SAR microsatellite system and the recent advances in this technology. Accordingly, in this paper, the current status and characteristics of optical and SAR microsatellite constellation operation are described, and studies using them are investigated. In addition, based on the status and characteristics of the representative SAR microsatellites, specifically the ICEYE and Capella systems, methods for using SAR microsatellite data for ship detection applications are described. Our results confirm that the SAR microsatellites operate as a constellation and have the advantages of short revisit cycles and quick provision of high-resolution images. With this technology, we expect SAR microsatellites to contribute greatly to the monitoring a wide-area target vessel, in which the spatiotemporal resolution of the imagery is especially important.
Keywords
SAR microsatellite; microsatellite constellation; ICEYE; Capella; Ship detection;
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