Abstract: For snow/ice detection in the Antarctic and the Arctic, this study developed a spaceborne sparse repeat-pass radar system, and analyzed its performance and feasibility. The parameters of the spaceborne radar system were designed under the condition of 75-dB decay attributable to ice thickness, and details of preliminary system are described. Considering the characteristics of the density of radar satellites in polar orbit and their short revisit time, a method for using spaceborne synthetic aperture radar sparse repeat-pass 3D imaging technology was developed to improve resolution in the cross-track direction, and preliminary results obtained by the polar snow/ice detection system based on a single satellite combined with orbital perturbation were analyzed. The system was found not only to have high resolution and good performance, but also to have certain technical feasibility.