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They're different types of radar systems. https://platform.leolabs.space/sites https://platform.leolabs.space/sites The pointed shape ones are 2D phased array
by aimor 6y ago
They're different types of radar systems.
https://platform.leolabs.space/sites https://platform.leolabs.space/sites
The pointed shape ones are 2D phased array radar. The radar is a grid of 4096 elements. It can observe things anywhere in the sky above it, however there are practical limits to how far off boresight it can operate. These limits are related to the arrangement of the elements, and result in the 6 pointed shape.
The others are 1D phased array radar. They consist of a line of elements rather than a grid. They use a parabolic reflector along the length of the array to focus the radar's observable area to a single line to make up for that missing 2nd dimension. So the reflector limits the radar to only observing across a single line, and the array allows the radar to control where across the line to radiate or listen.