WANA (Apr 21) – The Iranian Space Research Center is developing the country’s first space-based polarimetric radar system, expected to be completed and installed on satellites by 2028. Initial phases of the system have already been tested on drones, capturing high-quality images.

 

In recent years, the Iranian Space Research Center successfully designed and built the country’s first Synthetic Aperture Radar Polarimetry Imaging System (ISRC-PSAR)—an advanced system developed with indigenous technology that offers powerful capabilities for disaster management and natural hazard monitoring.

 

In the field of remote sensing, there are two main branches: optical and radar imaging. Radar technology offers significant advantages over optical systems due to its flexibility and independence from lighting and weather conditions. For example, during crises like floods, when cloud cover can hinder optical imaging, radar systems can still provide precise images, making them a vital tool for emergency response and natural disaster monitoring. These systems also allow rapid data transmission, enabling faster and more effective decision-making.

 

Developed by experts at the Iranian Space Research Center, the ISRC-PSAR system is a high-resolution radar imaging tool mounted on mobile platforms such as aircraft and drones. It can simultaneously capture images in multiple polarizations—HH, HV, VH, and VV—creating a color radar image that offers significantly more information than the grayscale images produced by traditional single-polarization SAR systems.

 

The ISRC-PSAR system offers several key advantages, including 24/7 functionality and operation under various weather conditions—sunny, cloudy, rainy, or even dusty environments.

 

The technology supports a wide range of applications, including:

 

Military uses

Disaster management, including earthquakes, droughts, floods, and storms

Geological activities, such as mineral exploration, fault mapping, and archaeological studies

Agriculture and natural resources, including vegetation classification, crop monitoring, and precision farming

Mapping and surveying, such as cadastre, GIS, and urban planning

 

The system’s development began with an airborne prototype installed on a drone, which successfully captured high-quality images—some of which have already been released. Following the success of the airborne tests, work has now shifted toward creating the space-based version, expected to be completed and launched within the next two to three years.

 

Alongside satellite system development and orbital deployment, the Iranian Space Research Center continues to advance its remote sensing technologies. The radar technology developed here not only supports space applications but is also suitable for vertical sectors like agriculture, mining, and infrastructure monitoring.

 

This achievement marks a significant step in enhancing Iran’s domestic capabilities in remote sensing and advancing its technological independence in the space domain.