Abstract:A method based on Fractional Fourier Transform(FrFT) is put forward to solve the problems in low Signal-Noise Ratio(SNR) detection and accurate frequency estimation for space target detection. At first the theory of parameter estimation by FrFT is introduced. Then, after analyzing the dynamic characteristic of the echo, the parameters of FrFT using in space target detection are designed to meet the requirements of real-time processing and high detection probability. The method of improving frequency estimation precision is proposed. The performance of target detection and frequency estimation is analyzed. The results of simulation show that the proposed method is applicable and effective.