A method (500, 1500) of operation of a multi-band synthetic aperture radar, SAR, comprising a transceiver and a hardware data processor, the method comprising: causing by the data processor the SAR to enter an interrogation mode, and while in the interrogation mode: transmitting by the transceiver one or more interrogation pulses to the ground at at least one of a first or a second frequency band, the second frequency band different from the first frequency band; determining by the data processor if a response to the one or more interrogation pulses has been received from a ground terminal; determining by the data processor if position information specifying a ground location has been received from the ground terminal; upon determining by the data processor a response to the one or more interrogation pulses has been received from the ground terminal, and position information specifying a ground location has been received from the ground terminal, causing by the data processor the SAR to enter an imaging mode, and while in the imaging mode: transmitting by the transceiver a first transmitted imaging pulse to the ground at the first frequency band; transmitting by the transceiver a second transmitted imaging pulse to the ground at the second frequency band; receiving by the transceiver a first received pulse that includes backscattered energy from the first transmitted imaging pulse; receiving by the transceiver a second received pulse that includes backscattered energy from the second transmitted imaging pulse; encoding by the data processor data from the first and the second received pulses to generate a first subsequent transmitted imaging pulse; and transmitting by the transceiver the first subsequent transmitted imaging pulse to the ground at the first frequency band. transmitting by the transceiver one or more interrogation pulses to the ground at at least one of a first or a second frequency band, the second frequency band different from the first frequency band; determining by the data processor if a response to the one or more interrogation pulses has been received from a ground terminal; determining by the data processor if position information specifying a ground location has been received from the ground terminal; upon determining by the data processor a response to the one or more interrogation pulses has been received from the ground terminal, and position information specifying a ground location has been received from the ground terminal, causing by the data processor the SAR to enter an imaging mode, and while in the imaging mode: transmitting by the transceiver a first transmitted imaging pulse to the ground at the first frequency band; transmitting by the transceiver a second transmitted imaging pulse to the ground at the second frequency band; receiving by the transceiver a first received pulse that includes backscattered energy from the first transmitted imaging pulse; receiving by the transceiver a second received pulse that includes backscattered energy from the second transmitted imaging pulse; encoding by the data processor data from the first and the second received pulses to generate a first subsequent transmitted imaging pulse; and transmitting by the transceiver the first subsequent transmitted imaging pulse to the ground at the first frequency band. transmitting by the transceiver a first transmitted imaging pulse to the ground at the first frequency band; transmitting by the transceiver a second transmitted imaging pulse to the ground at the second frequency band; receiving by the transceiver a first received pulse that includes backscattered energy from the first transmitted imaging pulse; receiving by the transceiver a second received pulse that includes backscattered energy from the second transmitted imaging pulse; encoding by the data processor data from the first and the second received pulses to generate a first subsequent transmitted imaging pulse; and transmitting by the transceiver the first subsequent transmitted imaging pulse to the ground at the first frequency band.