Real-time SAR image processing onboard a Venus orbiting spacecraft

The potential use of real-time SAR processing to produce 200-meter resolution imagery onboard a 1983 Venus Orbiter Imaging Radar (VOIR) spacecraft is discussed. The current NASA SAR processor development program and its relationship to the VOIR application are described. VOIR SAR processing requirements are defined in terms of a nominal baseline design evolving from a 1977 VOIR mission study by JPL. A candidate onboard SAR processor architecture compatible with the VOIR requirements is described. Detailed implementation characteristics, based on currently available integrated circuits, are estimated in terms of chip count, weight, and power.