Advances in Radar and Radio Astronomy for Asteroid Characterisation and Space Exploration

Dear Colleagues,

Radar is a powerful and versatile tool for studying a wide range of space targets, including planets, asteroids, comets, and other natural and artificial objects. Radar observations have played essential roles in spacecraft mission support, precise orbit determination, planetary science, and both space- and ground-based planetary defence activities. For more than half a century, facilities such as Arecibo and the Goldstone Solar System Radar led planetary radar astronomy and radio astronomical studies, providing an unprecedented legacy of high-quality data. However, the loss of Arecibo since 2019 has revealed significant limitations in geographical coverage, temporal availability, and system diversity within the global radar infrastructure.

In recent years, there has been growing international interest in advancing radar technologies for space applications. New and upgraded systems are being developed worldwide, accompanied by innovations in high-power transmitters, wideband and flexible waveform design, advanced signal processing, phased-array architectures, and bi-static and multi-static observing modes. Parallel theoretical and experimental efforts are improving our understanding of radar observables—such as polarisation, reflectivity, spectral characteristics, and delay-Doppler imaging—and their links to physical properties of space targets.

This Special Issue highlights recent advances across radar technologies, methodologies, and scientific applications relevant to asteroid studies, space exploration, and radio astronomy.

Dr. Shinji Horiuchi
Guest Editor

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