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A Cross-Track Cloud-Scanning Dual-Frequency Doppler (C2D2) Radar for the Proposed ACE Mission and BeyondThe National Resource Council’s Earth Science Decadal Survey” (NRCDS) has identified the Aerosol/Climate/Ecosystems (ACE) Mission as a priority mission for NASA Earth science. The NRC recommended the inclusion of "a cross-track scanning cloud radar with channels at 94 GHz and possibly 34 GHz for measurement of cloud droplet size, glaciation height, and cloud height". Several radar concepts have been proposed that meet some of the requirements of the proposed ACE mission but none have provided scanning capability at both 34 and 94 GHz due to the challenge of constructing scanning antennas at 94 GHz. In this paper, we will describe a radar design that leverages new developments in microwave monolithic integrated circuits (MMICs) and micro-machining to enable an electronically-scanned radar with both Ka-band (35 GHz) and W-band (94-GHz) channels. This system uses a dual-frequency linear active electronically-steered array (AESA) combined with a parabolic cylindrical reflector. This configuration provides a large aperture (3m x 5m) with electronic-steering but is much simpler than a two-dimension AESA of similar size. Still, the W-band frequency requires element spacing of approximately 2.5 mm, presenting significant challenges for signal routing and incorporation of MMICs. By combining (Gallium Nitride) GaN MMIC technology with micro-machined radiators and interconnects and silicon-germanium (SiGe) beamforming MMICs, we are able to meet all the performance and packaging requirements of the linear array feed and enable simultaneous scanning of Ka-band and W-band radars over swath of up to 100 km.
Document ID
20150007755
Acquisition Source
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Document Type
Conference Paper
External Source(s)
Authors
Sadowy, Gregory
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Tanelli, Simone
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Chamberlain, Neil
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Durden, Stephen
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Fung, Andy
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Sanchez-Barbetty, Mauricio
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Thrivikraman, Tushar
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
May 8, 2015
Publication Date
July 21, 2013
Subject Category
Meteorology And Climatology
Communications And Radar
Meeting Information
Meeting: IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS 2013)
Location: Melbourne
Country: Australia
Start Date: July 21, 2013
End Date: July 26, 2013
Sponsors: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
Aerosol/Climate/Ecosystems (ACE) Mission
W/Ka-band cloud radar

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