Geometric Configuration Constraints for Large Deep Space Network Arrays

The problem of selecting the relative positions of antennas in a large radio array has many degrees of freedom. This article considers ways to constrain this problem and arrive at geometric configurations that optimize array performance parameters of relevance to spacecraft tracking applications. A comparison with configurations developed for radio astronomy arrays illustrates the differences between the constraints that apply to spacecraft tracking and to aperture synthesis radio imaging. Despite these differences, many of the techniques and tools used in the design of radio astronomy array configurations are also applicable to Deep Space Network (DSN) array configurations.