Satnews Daily
November 25th, 2013

SSTL—SAR Is The Star (Event—Award)



Photo of the small satellite Synthetic Aperature Radar (SAR) platform.

[SatNews] Surrey Satellite Technology Limited's (SSTL) unique space-based S-band radar system, NovaSAR, has won an Innovation award for Navigation and Surveillance Communications from The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).

NovaSAR, which won the IET award against four other finalists, is a ground-breaking, radar satellite system providing day/night and all-weather satellite imaging, primarily targeted at maritime surveillance applications. NovaSAR was developed through an intensive program combining the expertise of SSTL on advanced small satellite platforms and radar payload skills from Astrium UK, resulting in a Synthetic Aperture Radar remote sensing service at about 20 to 25 percent of the cost of more traditional systems.


 


The SSTL and Astrium team receive the award at the IET event.

NovaSAR will be equipped with an Automatic Identification System (AIS) receiver and will be the first satellite to provide direct visual ship detection imagery simultaneously with AIS ship tracking data. Combining radar imagery with AIS signals from NovaSAR will provide accurate data for identifying and tracking sea-going vessels, and will also assist with applications related to security, smuggling, piracy and oil discharge.

Although primarily targeted at maritime surveillance, NovaSAR’s operational modes are optimized for monitoring the environment, including ice cover, iceberg monitoring, pollution and bathymetry.

The joint SSTL and Astrium team attending the event were honored to receive the award in front of a diverse range of skilled engineering and technology companies and academic departments.

Tony Holt, SSTL’s Engineering Director who collected the award at The Brewery in London, said: “The SSTL and Astrium team is thrilled that our joint efforts on NovaSAR have been recognized with this coveted award. As the first truly “low-cost” space radar system, NovaSAR will provide an innovative and affordable space system for the maritime domain.”