GBT25B-414

Artemis-2 Bi-Static Radar with NASA/DSN DSS-13

Abstract

We request Director's Discretionary observing time on the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) to support a time-critical bi-static radar demonstration during NASA's Artemis II mission. This activity, requested for evaluation by NASA's SCaN Operations Directorate, will assess the feasibility of using combined NASA and NSF/NRAO assets to detect and track the Orion spacecraft at cis-lunar distances, addressing a near-term gap in U.S. deep-space radar capability.

The experiment will employ a bi-static X-band configuration using the Deep Space Network's DSS-13 34-m antenna at Goldstone as the transmitter and the GBT as a high-sensitivity, receive-only aperture. Approximately five radar observation sessions are planned during mid-mission cis-lunar phases of Artemis II, each notionally up to six hours in duration, constrained by co-visibility between the transmit and receive sites.

To reduce operational and technical risk, two preparatory bi-static radar measurements are proposed prior to launch using NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter as a calibration and validation target, with approximately one hour per pass. JPL will provide experiment design, on-site technical support, and all data processing and analysis.

This demonstration will serve as a pathfinder for future DSN/NRAO collaboration, enabling radar characterization of spacecraft and objects beyond Earth orbit and supporting Artemis-era mission risk mitigation.

Investigators

Name	Institution
Bradford Arnold *	Jet Propulsion Laboratory

* indicates the PI