Final Implementation and Performance of the Cheia Space Object Tracking Radar.
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| Title: | Final Implementation and Performance of the Cheia Space Object Tracking Radar. |
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| Authors: | Bîră, Călin1 (AUTHOR), Ionescu, Liviu2 (AUTHOR), Hobincu, Radu1 (AUTHOR) radu.hobincu@upb.ro |
| Source: | Remote Sensing. Oct2025, Vol. 17 Issue 19, p3322. 19p. |
| Subjects: | Space surveillance, Tracking radar, Radar, Continuous wave radar, Signal processing, Artificial satellite tracking, European Union |
| Geographic Terms: | Romania |
| Abstract: | Highlights: What are the main findings? Successful retrofit of two 32 m Cassegrain Intelsat antennas into a fully operational C-band LFMCW radar for space object tracking. Demonstrated capability to detect and track objects with radar cross-sections as low as 0.02 m 2 up to 1200 km with 2.5 kW transmitted power, validated through ESA-supervised campaigns. What is the implication of the main finding? Shows that re-purposing legacy satellite communication infrastructure is a cost-effective approach for EU SST-compliant radar networks. Confirms that LFMCW radar architectures can achieve high accuracy and robustness even in electromagnetically congested environments with adequate digital processing. This paper presents the final implemented design and performance evaluation of the ground-based C-band Cheia radar system, developed to enhance Romania's contribution to the EU Space Surveillance and Tracking (EU SST) network. All data used for performance analysis are real-time, real-life measurements of true spatial test objects orbiting Earth. The radar is based on two decommissioned 32 m satellite communication antennas already present at the Cheia Satellite Communication Center, that were retrofitted for radar operation in a quasi-monostatic architecture. A Linear Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (LFMCW) Radar design was implemented, using low transmitted power (2.5 kW) and advanced software-defined signal processing for detection and tracking of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) targets. System validation involved dry-run acceptance tests and calibration campaigns with known reference satellites. The radar demonstrated accurate measurements of range, Doppler velocity, and angular coordinates, with the capability to detect objects with radar cross-sections as low as 0.03 m2 at slant ranges up to 1200 km. Tracking of medium and large Radar Cross Section (RCS) targets remained robust under both fair and adverse weather conditions. This work highlights the feasibility of re-purposing legacy satellite infrastructure for SST applications. The Cheia radar provides a cost-effective, EUSST-compliant performance solution using primarily commercial off-the-shelf components. The system strengthens the EU SST network while demonstrating the advantages of LFMCW radar architectures in electromagnetically congested environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Engineering Source |
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