The First Moon Bistatic SAR Imaging Experiment Based on FAST Radio Telescope

This article presents the first bistatic synthetic aperture radar (SAR) Moon imaging experiment based on the five-100-m aperture spherical radio telescope (FAST) and the Sanya incoherent scatter radar (SYISR). We obtain 430 MHz radar images of the Moon surface and the highest resolution of the image...

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Main Authors: Yan Yin, Jinghai Sun, Jitong Duan, Xiaochen Wang, Mingyuan Li, Xinan Yue, Lijia Huang, Peng Jiang, Chibiao Ding
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IEEE 2025-01-01
Series:IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing
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Online Access:https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10878473/
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author Yan Yin
Jinghai Sun
Jitong Duan
Xiaochen Wang
Mingyuan Li
Xinan Yue
Lijia Huang
Peng Jiang
Chibiao Ding
author_facet Yan Yin
Jinghai Sun
Jitong Duan
Xiaochen Wang
Mingyuan Li
Xinan Yue
Lijia Huang
Peng Jiang
Chibiao Ding
author_sort Yan Yin
collection DOAJ
description This article presents the first bistatic synthetic aperture radar (SAR) Moon imaging experiment based on the five-100-m aperture spherical radio telescope (FAST) and the Sanya incoherent scatter radar (SYISR). We obtain 430 MHz radar images of the Moon surface and the highest resolution of the images reaches 560 m × 630 m. The wide-range and high-resolution images lay a solid foundation for related scientific research. Because FAST lacks the ability to actively transmit signals, SYISR is chosen as the transmitting radar. To mitigate the north–south ambiguity, we alternately image Moon surface areas by controlling the pointing direction of FAST in experiments. The bistatic SAR system brings more system errors compared to the monostatic SAR system. To cope with complex system errors, an error analysis method based on echo characteristics is introduced. The core of this analysis method lies in combining error analysis and compensation with the imaging process, using the imaging results and the changes in echoes to calibrate the errors. This method effectively identifies the source of errors exceeding the range gate and enables FAST to flexibly form a bistatic SAR system with any radar without special hardware modifications. For system errors with less impact, an improved phase gradient autofocus technique is introduced, which can mitigate residual unknown component phase errors in the echo. In addition, in order to image nonephemeris targets based on FAST, such as asteroids, an ephemeris-independent imaging method is introduced and tested with the Moon as the imaging target, which achieved imaging results comparable to that of conventional methods. Finally, mosaic images of Earth-side Moon are obtained. The results validate the reliability of the error analysis method and the imaging technique, as well as the feasibility of FAST imaging the celestial bodies, laying the foundation for FAST to cooperate with other radars to conduct a wider range of deep space targets imaging tasks and scientific exploration.
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spelling doaj-art-606c6c4a24704d6abba73d8fd4fdbff82025-08-20T02:09:51ZengIEEEIEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing1939-14042151-15352025-01-01187843785910.1109/JSTARS.2025.354028410878473The First Moon Bistatic SAR Imaging Experiment Based on FAST Radio TelescopeYan Yin0https://orcid.org/0009-0001-6100-6540Jinghai Sun1Jitong Duan2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5158-1285Xiaochen Wang3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9412-0596Mingyuan Li4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0150-4692Xinan Yue5https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3379-9392Lijia Huang6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4490-682XPeng Jiang7https://orcid.org/0009-0003-3527-8520Chibiao Ding8https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9809-5156Key Laboratory of Technology in Geo-Spatial Information Processing and Application system, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, ChinaNational Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, ChinaKey Laboratory of Technology in Geo-Spatial Information Processing and Application system, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, ChinaKey Laboratory of Technology in Geo-Spatial Information Processing and Application system, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, ChinaKey Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, ChinaKey Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, ChinaKey Laboratory of Technology in Geo-Spatial Information Processing and Application system, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, ChinaNational Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, ChinaKey Laboratory of Technology in Geo-Spatial Information Processing and Application system, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, ChinaThis article presents the first bistatic synthetic aperture radar (SAR) Moon imaging experiment based on the five-100-m aperture spherical radio telescope (FAST) and the Sanya incoherent scatter radar (SYISR). We obtain 430 MHz radar images of the Moon surface and the highest resolution of the images reaches 560 m × 630 m. The wide-range and high-resolution images lay a solid foundation for related scientific research. Because FAST lacks the ability to actively transmit signals, SYISR is chosen as the transmitting radar. To mitigate the north–south ambiguity, we alternately image Moon surface areas by controlling the pointing direction of FAST in experiments. The bistatic SAR system brings more system errors compared to the monostatic SAR system. To cope with complex system errors, an error analysis method based on echo characteristics is introduced. The core of this analysis method lies in combining error analysis and compensation with the imaging process, using the imaging results and the changes in echoes to calibrate the errors. This method effectively identifies the source of errors exceeding the range gate and enables FAST to flexibly form a bistatic SAR system with any radar without special hardware modifications. For system errors with less impact, an improved phase gradient autofocus technique is introduced, which can mitigate residual unknown component phase errors in the echo. In addition, in order to image nonephemeris targets based on FAST, such as asteroids, an ephemeris-independent imaging method is introduced and tested with the Moon as the imaging target, which achieved imaging results comparable to that of conventional methods. Finally, mosaic images of Earth-side Moon are obtained. The results validate the reliability of the error analysis method and the imaging technique, as well as the feasibility of FAST imaging the celestial bodies, laying the foundation for FAST to cooperate with other radars to conduct a wider range of deep space targets imaging tasks and scientific exploration.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10878473/Delay-Doppler mapfive-hundred-meter aperture spherical radio telescope (FAST)moonSanya incoherent scatter radar (SYISR)
spellingShingle Yan Yin
Jinghai Sun
Jitong Duan
Xiaochen Wang
Mingyuan Li
Xinan Yue
Lijia Huang
Peng Jiang
Chibiao Ding
The First Moon Bistatic SAR Imaging Experiment Based on FAST Radio Telescope
IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing
Delay-Doppler map
five-hundred-meter aperture spherical radio telescope (FAST)
moon
Sanya incoherent scatter radar (SYISR)
title The First Moon Bistatic SAR Imaging Experiment Based on FAST Radio Telescope
title_full The First Moon Bistatic SAR Imaging Experiment Based on FAST Radio Telescope
title_fullStr The First Moon Bistatic SAR Imaging Experiment Based on FAST Radio Telescope
title_full_unstemmed The First Moon Bistatic SAR Imaging Experiment Based on FAST Radio Telescope
title_short The First Moon Bistatic SAR Imaging Experiment Based on FAST Radio Telescope
title_sort first moon bistatic sar imaging experiment based on fast radio telescope
topic Delay-Doppler map
five-hundred-meter aperture spherical radio telescope (FAST)
moon
Sanya incoherent scatter radar (SYISR)
url https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10878473/
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