
Ground-based radar systems could have a unique role to play in planetary defense, helping humanity protect Earth by spotting asteroids and comets on potentially devasting collision courses with our planet.
This was the conclusion reached by National Academies in their 2023-2032 Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey. Currently, only one radar system on Earth concentrates on detecting threatening space rocks: NASA's Goldstone Solar System Radar, which is part of the Deep Space Network (DSN).