Role of Radio Telescopes in Space Debris Monitoring: Current Insights and Future Directions

The growing population of space debris poses significant risks to operational satellites and future space missions, necessitating innovative and efficient tracking solutions. Ground-based radar for space surveillance has been a central area of research since the early Space Age, with recent advancements emphasizing the use of bistatic radar systems that incorporate sensitive radio telescopes as receivers. This approach offers a cost-effective and scalable solution for monitoring space debris. Preliminary observations demonstrated the viability of employing radio telescopes in bistatic configurations for effective debris tracking. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of experiments utilizing radio telescopes as bistatic receivers, highlighting key advancements, challenges, and potential applications in space surveillance systems. By detailing the progress in this field, this study underscores the critical role of bistatic radar systems in mitigating the growing threat of space debris.