Real-time SAR image processing onboard a Venus orbiting spacecraft

The potential use of real-time synthetic aperture radar (SAR) processing to produce 200 meter resolution imagery onboard a 1983 Venus orbiter imaging radar spacecraft is described. The VOIR SAR processing requirements are defined in terms of a nominal baseline design evolving from a 1977 VOIR mission study. A candidate onboard SAR processor architecture compatible with the VOIR requirements is next detailed. Finally, implementation characteristics, based upon currently available integrated circuits, are estimated in terms of chip count, power, and weight.