# PAZ SAR
*sensor . products*

Airbus-built X-band synthetic aperture radar imager on the Spanish PAZ satellite, commercially offered in constellation with TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X.

## Specifications
- **product status**: operational
- **manufacturer**: airbus-ds
- **sensor**: {"instrument_family":"sar","measurement_principle":"active","frequency_band":"X","centre_frequency_mhz":9650,"chirp_bandwidth_mhz":300,"polarisation_modes":["HH","HV","VV","VH"],"antenna_length_m":4.8,"modes":[{"name":"Spotlight","resolution_range_m":1,"resolution_azimuth_m":1,"swath_km":5,"polarisation":"single"},{"name":"StripMap","resolution_range_m":3,"resolution_azimuth_m":3,"swath_km":30,"polarisation":"single/dual"},{"name":"ScanSAR","resolution_range_m":15,"resolution_azimuth_m":15,"swath_km":100,"polarisation":"single/dual"},{"name":"Wide ScanSAR","swath_km":270,"polarisation":"single/dual"}],"swath_km":270,"notes":"Hisdesat guide lists Spotlight, HR Spotlight, Staring Spotlight, StripMap, ScanSAR and Wide ScanSAR. WMO table gives 1 m/5 km, 3 m/30 km and 15 m/100 km examples; wide ScanSAR maximum comes from product-guide mode envelope."}
- **deployment context**: orbital
- **entity type**: sensor
- **last verified date**: 2026-05-28
- **verified by**: operator
- **claim status**: unclaimed
- **provider**: airbus-ds
- **attributes**: {"kind":"sensor","product_status":"operational","manufacturer":"airbus-ds","description":"Airbus-built X-band synthetic aperture radar imager on the Spanish PAZ satellite, commercially offered in constellation with TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X.","sensor":"{\"instrument_family\":\"sar\",\"measurement_principle\":\"active\",\"frequency_band\":\"X\",\"centre_frequency_mhz\":9650,\"chirp_bandwidth_mhz\":300,\"polarisation_modes\":[\"HH\",\"HV\",\"VV\",\"VH\"],\"antenna_length_m\":4.8,\"modes\":[{\"name\":\"Spotlight\",\"resolution_range_m\":1,\"resolution_azimuth_m\":1,\"swath_km\":5,\"polarisation\":\"single\"},{\"name\":\"StripMap\",\"resolution_range_m\":3,\"resolution_azimuth_m\":3,\"swath_km\":30,\"polarisation\":\"single/dual\"},{\"name\":\"ScanSAR\",\"resolution_range_m\":15,\"resolution_azimuth_m\":15,\"swath_km\":100,\"polarisation\":\"single/dual\"},{\"name\":\"Wide ScanSAR\",\"swath_km\":270,\"polarisation\":\"single/dual\"}],\"swath_km\":270,\"notes\":\"Hisdesat guide lists Spotlight, HR Spotlight, Staring Spotlight, StripMap, ScanSAR and Wide ScanSAR. WMO table gives 1 m/5 km, 3 m/30 km and 15 m/100 km examples; wide ScanSAR maximum comes from product-guide mode envelope.\"}","bus":null,"ground_segment":null,"launcher":null,"analysis_service":null,"deployment_context":"orbital"}
- **technology**: radar

## Editorial
PAZ SAR is an X-band synthetic aperture radar imager carried on the Spanish PAZ satellite, owned and managed by Hisdesat. The satellite was built by Airbus Defence and Space, which also commercialises PAZ imagery in constellation with TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X under its Radar Constellation services.[^hisdesat-paz-product-guide]

The instrument operates at 9.65 GHz with an active phased array antenna measuring 4.8 by 0.7 m and supports chirp bandwidths of 100, 150, and 300 MHz. Available polarisations are HH, HV, VV, and VH, acquired in single- or dual-polarisation modes.[^hisdesat-paz-product-guide]

PAZ SAR supports six imaging modes:[^hisdesat-paz-product-guide][^wmo-oscar-paz-sar-x]

| Mode | Approximate resolution | Swath width | Polarisation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spotlight | 1 m | 5 km | single |
| HR Spotlight | sub-metre class | 5 km | single |
| Staring Spotlight | sub-metre class | 4 km | single |
| StripMap | 3 m | 30 km | single or dual |
| ScanSAR | 15 m | 100 km | single or dual |
| Wide ScanSAR | medium | 270 km | single or dual |

Demonstrated applications documented in the product guide include InSAR surface deformation monitoring and SAR backscatter change detection.[^hisdesat-paz-product-guide]

## Compositional position
- paz (missions) --[mission_payloads]--> PAZ SAR

## Sources
- [hisdesat-paz-product-guide] | PAZ Image Products Guide issue 2.0, Hisdesat | https://www.hisdesat.es/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/PAZ-HDS-GUI-001-PAZ-Image-Products-Guide-issue-2.pdf | tier=operator-datasheet | accessed=2026-05-28 | published=2021-05-10
- [wmo-oscar-paz-sar-x] | WMO OSCAR instrument record: SAR-X (Paz/SEOSAR) | https://space.oscar.wmo.int/instruments/view/sar_x_paz_seosar | tier=community | accessed=2026-05-28
- [ceos-paz-sar-x] | CEOS MIM database instrument summary: Paz SAR-X | https://database.eohandbook.com/database/instrumentsummary.aspx?instrumentID=1514 | tier=community | accessed=2026-05-28

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Source: https://eo-atlas.org/products/sensor/paz-sar
Maintainer: SpectraWorks B.V. (CC-BY 4.0)