A study on the cubic range model for MEO SAR ground moving target imaging

Due to the advantages of large coverage, and short revisit time, medium-earth-orbit (MEO) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is an attractive tool for ground moving target indication (GMTI). This paper presents a study on the third-order Taylor approximated range model for MEO SAR ground moving target imaging. First, the coordinates of a ground accelerating target and MEO SAR in the earthcentered rotating coordinate system, as well as the target’s range equation are developed. Second, the third-order Taylor approximated range model is derived. Finally, the accuracy and the application scope of this cubic range model are investigated via simulations.