The DLR Spaceborne SAR Calibration Center

A necessary activity for any SAR system is its calibration to establish the relation between radar measurements and geophysical parameters. During this process, all essential parameters of a SAR image are linked to their geophysical quantities. This includes the geolocation of the SAR image, its backscattering characteristics (in amplitude and in phase) and polarimetric information. The Microwaves and Radar Institute of the DLR has gained extensive experience in these calibration procedures during the last decades and has developed special methods and dedicated reference targets for spaceborne SAR system calibration. Through examples of calibration results obtained for different spaceborne SAR mission, the capabilities of the DLR SAR Calibration Center are presented.