Space Regulatory Glossary Industry

synthetic aperture radar

/sɪnˈθɛtɪk ˈæpərtʃər ˈreɪdɑːr/ noun

1. An active remote sensing technology that uses the motion of a satellite or aircraft to simulate a much larger antenna, producing high-resolution radar imagery of Earth's surface regardless of cloud cover or lighting conditions.
2. SAR satellites require both an FCC spectrum license (for the radar transmission) and a NOAA remote sensing license (for the Earth observation data). SAR data is used in agriculture, disaster response, infrastructure monitoring, and defense intelligence.

Read: NOAA Remote Sensing Licensing

Related terms

remote sensing license A license issued by NOAA authorizing a private entity to operate a system that collects data about Earth from space. NOAA The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A U.S. federal agency within the Department of Commerce that…

Mentioned in The Downlink

• NOAA Remote Sensing License & Part 960 Explained

  Part 960 governs every U.S. commercial Earth observation satellite. Here's how the tier system works and why CRSRA's capacity is now uncertain.

Browse all terms in the Space Regulatory Glossary →